


But now I'm only falling apart

by Confettibites



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, Billy centric, Bisexual Billy Hargrove, College!AU, Drinking, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Mutual Pining, Party Games, Semi-Public Sex, Slow Burn, Stupid Boys, emotionally unavailable boys, general lack of talking about important stuff, or rather public groping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-03-07 09:41:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 83,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13432044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Confettibites/pseuds/Confettibites
Summary: Billy and Laurie have been basically friends with benefits for quite some time because they get along well and live just on the other side of the hallway. But when Laurie tells him that she's finally getting a new roommate and she decided for that pretty brown-eyed dude, Billy is more than skeptical. After all, Laurie wasn't known to have much luck with roommates and Billy couldn't handle another psycho. Things change when he meets Steve Harrington.Basically that basic Billy-centric Harringrove College!AU, in which Billy is bisexual and Steve Harrington is the prettiest thing he's ever seen.





	1. The new roommate

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what to say. Somehow I really wanted to write something Billy-centric and this is what happened. I have a few more chapters already planned out and more stuff written but this will be a bit different than my other writing. There will be longer chapters and they will be way less frequently. I aim for uploading at least once a week though.

Billy squinted his eyes as he watched Laurie put on some Mascara in front of her mirror. _Steve Harrington_. He definitely had heard this name before but he just couldn't figure out where or to what face it belonged. But no matter who he was, he couldn't be any worse than Becky so Billy essentially supported him moving in with the girl living on the opposite side of the hallway from him. Billy certainly hadn't complained when Laurie told him that Becky had dropped out of college. Although he was skeptical when she mentioned she was getting a new roommate. Becky had been annoying as hell and kept him awake at night on multiple occasions, crying over her studies or her boyfriend or whatever had been going wrong with her life. Billy was pretty sure, nobody in this dorm would miss her but he and Tommy, living so close to those girls, definitely had suffered the most.

"So, do you know him?", Billy asked. He was leaning against Laurie's wardrobe now, arms crossed and watching her getting ready.

"Not really.", Laurie admitted. "Just from the e-mails. You should have seen the picture he sent me." Now she was smirking widely and Billy couldn't help but chuckle. That girl definitely had set her hopes high. She'd even cleaned this mess of a room from what he could tell, but then this could also only be Becky's stuff that had been moved out.

"You know why he's switching dorms mid-semester?" Billy raised one eyebrow. It wasn't like moving out at in the in the middle of fall was a thing that happened frequently. Usually, there were only some changes during the summer.

When Laurie had told him that Becky was going to move out an that she was looking for a new roommate Billy had definitely pictured it to be another hot girl, somewhat like Laurie. But basically just anyone on their right mind would be good and as long as that Harrington guy wasn't about to start crying in the middle of the night and Billy was finally able to get his good nights sleep, he definitely wasn't going to complain.

"Mean break-up from what I've heard.", Laurie said. "Didn't ask about this, but I heard some guys talking about it. From what it sounds like, that boy just needs a place to stay."

Billy snorted. "Didn't ask about it…", he shook his head in amusement. "So he's that hot?"

Laurie smirked, as if not conscious of having done anything wrong.

Billy sighed. "Whatever. I hope he's at least over it. Can't take another Becky…"

"Oh, me neither.", Laurie agreed. "But he sounded pretty sane if that helps you. Also, he's really cute."

"Type?"

"Oh, like the really pretty type." Laurie looked at him now, eyes a bit widened and lips in a smile. "Like big hair, big eyes, super cute."

Billy wiped his forehead with a hand and suppressed another snort. "I swear, if you've picked another basket case, I'm going to escort him out myself, no matter how pretty.", he threatened.

"Oh, you're such a dick…", she said laughingly as she shook her head. "Also, I might count on that. If you hadn't talked to Becky, she would probably still be here."

Billy licked his lips. "So, what I'm getting out if this is that you owe me.", he concluded.

"Well, in that case, I might have helped with Becky.", Laurie stated. "But you can come along tonight if you want. I'm going to take Steve out, see if he's any fun."

"You pay for the first rounds and I'm in.", Billy decided. He didn't have any early classes tomorrow and he didn't have any other plans for tonight. Or at least nothing he couldn't change. Wouldn't hurt to get to know this guy before Laurie had the chance to ruin him.

"Deal." Laurie nodded and put her brush to the side, studying her face in the mirror until she seemed happy with the result. "But don't get any ideas.", she warned.

Billy put on a smug grin. "Don't worry 'bout it.", he said. "But you can always hit me up when that Harrington guy is not up for your plans."

"Oh, he will be.", Laury said in a perky tone.

Billy licked his bottom lip. "Only if he's smart." He winked at her and caused her to chuckle.

If Billy was being totally honest, his interest in continuing things with Laurie wasn't that high. Had never really been high in the first place. She had been over a couple of times, especially when she needed to sleep and Becky just wouldn't shut up. And when Tommy had been over at Carol's, Billy and Laurie had just ended up fucking a few times. There wasn't anything behind this, apart from them being horny. Neither of them was interested in a relationship or anything. They were friends with benefits and as such, Billy fully supported her interest in her new roommate. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't get laid if he wanted to. He certainly didn't depend on Laurie for that. But on the other hand, he was definitely still up to having a little fun together every now and then.

He noticed that Laurie was staring at the clock on the wall. "Don't you have class?", she asked. Now that sounded an awful lot as if she was trying to get rid of him, didn't it?

Billy followed her gaze and then he sighed and nodded. Questioning Laurie about her new roommate was definitely more interesting than class, but she wasn't wrong. "Guess, I should go." He turned around and approached the door. "Do me a favor, alright?" Billy waited for Laurie to look at him. "Let him at least unpack before you try to mount him.", he mocked.

Laurie just flipped the bird at him and told him to fuck off, so Billy left while laughing at his own joke. He just got into his own dorm room to pick up his backpack, before he was heading to class.

* * *

Billy had actually hoped he was going to meet that new guy before he was going to head out if only to finally figure out, why this name was sounding so familiar to him. And also, to test for himself if that dude was really as hot as Laurie made it appear.

In fact, Billy was so lost in thought when he got out of the dorm room and headed into the direction of the parking lot, that he almost didn't notice that guy that passed him on his way to the entrance. Billy stopped almost immediately, blinking twice and comparing that guy with the description he had just gotten from Laurie. But more than the big hair and those pretty brown eyes, it was the fact that Billy thought he had seen him before that gave Steve Harrington away.

So Billy quickly turned around, an eyebrow raised and asked. "You're Steve Harrington, aren't you?" And he didn't have to wait long for the reaction.

That guy that was carrying two big bags and a backpack with him stopped right away and slowly turned around. From the expression on his face, he had no idea who Billy was. "Who are you?", he asked.

Billy licked his lips and started to smirk shamelessly. Now he definitely remembered why the name had been so familiar to him. This Steve Harrington was the same guy that had been so eager to get people to fill out his survey about a year ago. Billy might only have agreed to do that because he somehow hadn't felt like denying anything to this puppy-eyed pretty boy. But he definitely didn't expect the exorbitant amount of follow up e-mails he had gotten afterward, some not even related to the survey whatsoever. At some point and after Billy had been staring at an endless repetition of the name Steve Harrington in his inbox, he had just blocked his e-mail-address, expecting never to hear something from that guy again.

"Billy Hargrove." Billy slightly bowed his head. "Receiver of an endless amount of love letters and also your new neighbor.", he grinned.

Billy enjoyed the shift in Steve Harrington's face from curiosity to panic to sheer embarrassment. "Fuck…", he mumbled. "So you were on the mailing list?"

"Bingo.", Billy was still smirking. He definitely enjoyed seeing that guy all flustered and it would be a lie to say that this wasn't giving him ideas.

Steve frowned. "Listen, I'm really sorry for that. The program I used was just super shit and at some point, it basically ended up sending every e-mail and every draft to everyone. I don't even know…", Steve explained. He hung one of the bags over his shoulder to use his free hand and run it through the well-coiffed hair.

"Don't sweat it, pretty boy.", Billy said. "Gotta go to class now. My best wishes to Laurie." With that, he winked at Steve Harrington once more, before turning around and walking off at a fast pace.

Now that was definitely a turn of events that was quite to Billy's liking. With a face like that, he could even overlook if that Harrington guy was a bit of a basket case. The only thing throwing him slightly off was the fact that Laurie and he somehow seemed to have the exact same taste in guys. That was weird. But maybe guys like Steve Harrington were just objectively beautiful and nice to look at. And damn, if Billy wasn't going to do just that.

Fuck… It wasn't even noon and Billy Hargrove found himself slowly developing a guy-crush over his best friends new roommate. Now that was definitely going to get interesting.

* * *

It was loud and crowded and it smelt like cheap liquor and smoke. Summed up, everything was exactly to Billy's liking and so he sunk back in his bench seat and lighted himself another cigarette while waiting for Laurie and her new roommate to arrive.

Billy was sitting in his and Laurie's favorite spot. A place slightly positioned at the side of the big room where they could talk without being interrupted by assheads all of the time. Especially with Laurie all prepped up, there usually were guys over all the time and at least with acting a bit like a couple and staying away from the counter, they could keep it to a minimum.

And now, Billy had already downed two beers and a couple of shots when he saw Laurie and Steve Harrington walking in. And wow, Laurie definitely upped her game since he saw her earlier. Still, she wasn't the one, attracting Billy's gaze. Even if he liked girls being all dressed up, there was just something about this guy next to her, looking like a doe hit by the headlights that caught all of Billy's attention.

Billy raised his arm to get them over to his table and watched as Laurie leaned closer to Steve, probably telling him that she would go and get all of them some drinks. Steve nodded before he then walked over to Billy, who was barely able to stop himself from biting down on his own lips as he watched that guy's walk. Why did he look that good? Billy just wanted to pull him somewhere private and show him a really fucking good time. Maybe drinking wasn't the best idea tonight because Billy suddenly was really interested in him.

"Billy, right?", Steve asked as he sat down on the opposite side from Billy.

Billy definitely enjoyed the sound of his name on that boy's lips. He could only imagine how it would sound when Steve was a bit more out of breath and maybe moaning it.

"At your service.", Billy smirked.

Steve looked at him and actually smiled. "Laurie is getting the drinks.", he said. "I probably owe you one, too, huh?" Steve still looked a bit uncomfortable about it.

"I told you, not to worry 'bout it.", Billy reminded him.

Steve just looked at him, pressed his lips together tightly and then he nodded, putting on a smile shortly after. At this point, it was fair to say that Billy had forgotten all about Laurie or basically any other person at this bar because nothing of that mattered right now. He wanted to touch Steve so badly but if he couldn't have that, he would at least make him talk.

"So… How did this happen?", Billy asked after a moment of thinking about how to engage him in a conversation.

"What are you talking about?", Steve looked fairly puzzled but also interested. He was definitely down to play this game.

"Why did you switch dorms?", Billy specified.

"Oh. Yeah, I ended a relationship and… well whatever, guess I somehow needed a new start.", Steve shrugged, definitely uncomfortable with this topic.

Billy nodded. "Just stick with us. We're definitely going to get your mind off of this."

Steve smiled disbelievingly but still thankful. A bit broken, aren't you? Don't worry, just let me take care of this.

And then Laurie was back, carrying a tablet with a few shots. "Here you go.", she announced before putting one shot each in front of Billy and Steve before sitting down and raising her own. "To being free, I guess. Cheers."

They drank. Billy didn't miss Steve's smile before he downed the shot. He asked himself if Laurie had just said this because of Steve's breakup. And if being free was really what he wanted.

Billy watched a drop of clear liquor pearl down the corner of Steve's mouth. Damn, he was pretty sure, Steve felt all soft right there, especially if Billy would lean in to lick over the wet trace that was left there, right before Steve wiped it off with the back of his hands. Billy almost felt a bit disappointed and licked his own lips instead, chasing the taste of the liquor that was left.

Usually, Billy didn't mind that Laurie was a more touchy kind of person. On most days, he loved that about her. But tonight it was mostly setting him off. Not only was it bothering him that he wasn't the center of her attention, what would be okay under this circumstances. But he also didn't like the idea of innocent and sweet Steve Harrington right there getting corrupted by her. Especially while Billy was coming up with quite a few ideas of corrupting that guy himself.

Laurie wiped her own mouth before running her hand over Steve's upper arm and back. Billy fondly remembered how good her touches could feel. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about that one time she had given him a handjob right here under this table because that's the kind of girl she was. One of the reasons he liked her so much. But with that look on her face telling him that she would probably love to do the same thing to Bambi-boy, Billy definitely liked that a little less about her. Damn, even if she would probably let Billy watch. He wasn't sure if he would be scandalized or turned the fuck on by that. Okay, he definitely would be the later. Just watching that eager expression on Laurie's face as she would be stroking his probably huge cock. Or, even better, keeping eye-contact with the brown-eyed pretty boy here, watching him slowly falling apart, not able to look anywhere else but at Billy. Fuck… And now he was more than just half-hard himself.

"So, what's your major?"

Billy blinked, trying to regain his focus as Steve had started to talk with him. "What?", he asked with a smug grin. "You don't have that in that survey of yours?"

Steve blushed again and bit his bottom lip. Damn, Billy would love to do the same, draw a bit of blood and make him squeal.

"Economics.", Billy said, his voice just a little husky.

"Don't mind him, Steve.", Laurie intervened. "He thinks he's something better."

Billy snorted. Laurie had changed her major more than just a few times and Billy knew that she was only currently taking anthropology classes because they were in the afternoon and the teacher was a thirty-year-old hot dude. Did Billy think he was better than her? Not necessarily. But they surely had different attempts to their academic careers. Billy's father would downright kill him if he ever pulled some of the shit she did.

"What do you do? Don't remember it from the e-mails, to be honest…" If he was doing surveys, this usually meant some kind of science. But then, Steve Harrington didn't look like the geeky kind of guy.

"Oh, yeah, I changed it. I'm doing education, now. No more surveys.", Steve smirked and seemed very glad about that change.

"So, you're going to be a teacher, Harrington?"

"I mean… Hopefully.", Steve shrugged. He didn't look fully certain and Billy had no idea why all of the sudden he felt like hugging that guy. He was imagining caressing his back, maybe pulling him by his gorgeous hair. Of course, he couldn't go without kissing him and trying to get a taste of those promising pink lips. Billy had no idea why, but wow, he was convinced that boy tasted like birthday cake with colorful sprinkles. And now he needed to swallow.

"Anthropology.", Laurie said, breaking the silence and also the eye contact between Steve and Billy. It was very obvious that she didn't like the lack of attention she was receiving.

"Oh. Nancy did this for a few semesters.", Steve mumbled.

Oh. So he was definitely into girls. Interesting. At least, if Billy was concluding right from that sad face because that meant that Nancy was the heartbreaking ex that made Steve move in with Laurie. He should downright ask Steve to go somewhere with him. It wouldn't even take seconds and Billy would make him forget all about whatshername.

"That's his ex.", Laurie explained, making it sound as if she was in on some secret here.

"Figured that.", Billy just mumbled. "Fuck, I need more drinks. Let's get shitfaced." Billy stood up, glad for the bad lighting situation in here because it did its fair share of hiding his hard-on. Of course, there were still some shots in front of him, so maybe Billy just wanted to take a short break and get himself something else to drink. And maybe something else to look at to get a bit distracted.

"Wait. Let me come along.", Steve announced. So much for the distraction.

Billy looked at Laurie and could see that she was very displeased with that. But then she couldn't do anything about this, could she?

As they were finding their way through the crowd to get a place at the counter and order some drinks, Billy didn't miss the fact that Steve's shoulder was brushing against his a few times. It might be him being oversensitive but it still sent warm and fuzzy feeling through his body. He asked himself if Steve was a touchy guy, too, imagining how maybe he could barely keep his hands to himself once Billy finally had him somewhere on their own. He swallowed. He really should stop fantasizing about Steve Harrington right now, especially while they were in public. Save it for later when Tommy was over at Carol's and he could jerk off in private…

"So, pretty boy…", Billy started as they were standing at the counter and waiting for the barkeeper to notice them. "What do we think of Laurie?" That was good. A safe conversation starter. Feel him up.

"I really don't know.", Steve shrugged. "She seems the really outgoing type. Pretty, of course. You probably know her a lot better than I do."

"I know that face, she made. I think she's into you." Billy smirked. He would later feel bad about it, for boycotting Laurie's game, but right now he couldn't help but enjoy it.

"I don't think, I'm into that at the moment.", Steve confessed. From the way he turned his gaze away, Billy could tell that this wasn't his favorite topic.

"So what are you into then, Steve?", Billy asked, intentionally leaning a bit closer and thereby noticing that Steve smelled nice, too. Like really expensive cologne.

Steve looked at him and bit his lip again. What a tease. "I just want to figure some stuff out, I suppose. Have you and Laurie…?"

"If we fucked?", Billy asked a bit amused and enjoyed how flustered Steve got again. "Few times.", he admitted. "Don't worry, though. Neither of us is up to continue things." No that could be interpreted either way.

Steve nodded. "But you're like, friends, right?"

"Yeah, we hang out a lot. My roommate is an asshead and hers was a total psycho. So we somehow just stuck together.", Billy explained.

Steve looked down at the dirty and partially moist wood on the counter. Was there any lighting he didn't look absolutely edible in?

"I was just thinking… I basically don't know anyone in this dorm or the area even…", Steve worried.

Billy grinned and casually put an arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'm going to show you around.", he offered.

And Billy knew that he shouldn't read into this but the way Steve was smiling at him now and downright leaning into his touch surely raised some hopes. But then, this could only be because he was already tipsy and he sure as hell wouldn't stop drinking just yet.


	2. Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Billy finds himself developing a serious crush on that new guy, he's trying to get himself distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

Over the course of the evening, at some point, it occurred to Billy, that drinking at his fragile state of being attracted to Steve Harrington might not have been the best idea he's ever had. But at this point, he was too wasted to care. It was probably meeting up with Laurie and Steve what wasn't a good idea in the first place. But the problem with drinking was that it made Billy care less and less about bad ideas and instead more and more about how pretty Steve looked. His face started glowing after a couple of drinks and Billy couldn't stop himself from imagining how he would look, pressed down in the sheets underneath of Billy. 

Needless to say, Laurie got pretty mad at Billy not even halfway through the evening. The alcohol wasn't doing her any favors either. It only made her more talkative while Steve kept not being overly interested. It was pretty damn obvious that she had expected this evening to go differently.

And Billy wasn't even questioning his newly developed feelings. He was crushing even more with every drink he had. Not even because drinking made Steve any prettier. Billy was pretty convinced that this wasn't possible in the first place. No, drinking just gave him an excuse to be closer to Steve and, hello, was Billy using this!

Drinking or not, at some point, Billy definitely started having a really fucking good time. Laurie wanted to dance and even though Billy wasn't one to generally dance in public when Steve agreed, he just went along with it. The music wasn't too bad, although it was definitely helping that Billy was a little buzzed out. He wasn't minding how crowded it got and he didn't mind the smell of sweat and the moisture in the air. He just enjoyed to move and to watch the other people. Even though he barely noticed anyone else.

Laurie positioned herself in between him and Steve, her backside in Billy's direction. One moment, she was pressing her hips against Billy's crotch and next time, she was stroking Steve's face, smiling at him and then snuggling her body against his. 

And Steve was a fucking sight. Sure, was he the most gracious dancer, Billy had ever seen? Certainly not. But he still moved with this kind of confidence, absolutely fucking sure of himself, that it made up for every awkward or clumsy move. Billy just wished, Laurie would get out of the way, so he could get all of this boy's attention. Because while they were standing like this, all he got were a few stares. Steve's face was blushing, he was blinking and looking at Billy with those big brown eyes. At this point, Billy was on the cusp of just shoving Laurie out of the way and himself on Steve. Just to make their bodies come together like they were obviously meant to be. Like it just would have felt fucking right in this moment. He envied every touch Laurie stole herself, even if Steve was barely touching her back and his gaze met Billy's way more often.

They probably would have danced the night away if there hadn't been this guy walking past and accidentally spilling some fancy and colorful cocktail right on Steve's shirt. As Laurie was flipping him off and shouting at him, Steve just scrunched his nose and smiled awkwardly. Billy couldn't help but walk past Laurie and put an arm around Steve's shoulder.

"Look at this mess.", he purred.

"Honestly, if it hadn't been him, I would have just ended up spilling something myself.", Steve grinned. "I'm almost glad it was someone else."

"Well, beer wouldn't make such a mess.", Billy winked. "Come on, pretty boy. Let's get you cleaned up."

With that and while ignoring the angry stares he was getting from Laurie, Billy just guided Steve towards the restroom. Steve was still smiling, he just went along with it. As they reached the restroom, Billy had to take away his arm and he watched Steve, pulling out a few paper towels and wiping over the wet patch on his shirt. It definitely helped to get it a bit dryer, but the discoloration stayed.

Billy almost audibly choked as Steve grabbed the hem of his shirt and raised it almost up to his chest, to wipe down his bare skin, too. Billy noticed a few drops from that cocktail, glistening on pale skin. They were getting a bit bigger until they started lowering down, drawing faint red lines over Steve's belly almost getting to that bit of hair, that caught Billy's attention. He licked his lips, imagining the sweetness, so close, Billy would almost be able to reach out and steal a taste. But before he was able to do anything about it, the shirt was back in place and hid Steve's naked skin adequately.

Billy cleared his throat. "You're having fun?", he asked.

"What? Now?", Steve smirked, throwing a few of the moist towels into the bin.

"In general, I guess.", Billy shrugged. "Your first time here, isn't it?"

"Yeah.", Steve confirmed. "Well, good, I guess.", he nodded. Then he turned around and leaned against the sink, as he continued to wipe off the redness with fresh towels.

"Good.", Billy smiled. "Wouldn't want to you make any bad memories, on the first day of this new part of your life.", he mumbled a little pathetic.

"If I wanted to make any memories, I should definitely stop drinking.", Steve wondered with a raised brow.

"Maybe memories are overrated then.", Billy winked.

"Agreed.", Steve said with a confident nod. 

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As Billy stumbled into his room, he was groaning, almost too shitfaced to notice Tommy and Carol doing whatever in Tommy's bed. They were definitely noticing him, but he was ignoring their nasty comments and just went straight up to the bathroom, trying to shut down his brain that kept thinking about the way Steve had just smiled at him in the hallway while saying goodnight. 

Maybe if Laurie hadn't been with them and if she had hooked up with some stranger instead as Billy had genuinely hoped she would, this could have ended a bit differently. Not that he could have invited Steve here with Carol and Tommy literally banging in their shared room. But Steve's and Laurie's room would have worked just fine in Billy's opinion.

But like this, really all Billy had been able to do, was to drunkenly and loudly announce that they should definitely do that again, even though he wasn't necessarily talking about Laurie. While she had only rolled her eyes, probably just as frustrated as Billy was because Steve wasn't reacting to any of her flirts, the boy had smiled at Billy. Smiled and confirmed that this had been fun, while affectionally patting Billy's shoulder. 

Billy felt a warmth spreading through his abdomen, not sure if this was just him being drunk, getting aroused or if just anything connected to Steve made him feel all warm and cozy at this point. But before Billy could do anything about this, Laurie was dragging Steve into their dorm and the door behind them, not even looking at Billy.

As Billy closed the bathroom door behind himself and thereby muted the exaggerated moaning from his and Tommy's room, assumably only this loud to provoke him, there was no point in denying that arousal was definitely a part of what he had been feeling. He wasn't thinking about the two idiots next door, he was barely hearing them nor was he seeing them. Hell, he was barely seeing his own reflection in the mirror, sweaty and with his pupils dilated. No, his mind was way too occupied, picturing another face.

If Billy hadn't been so drunk he would probably have thought twice about this or just rolled his eyes and went to bed. The last time he had jerked off thinking about another guy, bathroom or not, that must have been when he was still in high school. Good thing that right at this moment, he was too drunk and too fucking horny to care about anything. 

And so, Billy was fumbling at his pants and cussing as he finally decided not to care about opening up those stupidly complicated buttons. Why did he even wear pants this tight? They had only managed to make it fucking hard to hide his obvious attraction over the course of the evening, even though they arguably made his ass look great. He gave up about unzipping and just pushed his pants down over his hips a little too forceful. He just needed a few more inches, until his dick jumped free. God, he wished Harrington would have come along. Even though Tommy and Carol were an absolute turn-off, Billy had some tricks up his sleeve and certainly some ideas of how to make Steve forget them and forget his heartbreaking ex-girlfriend altogether. 

Billy moaned and closed his eyes as he pictured pretty brown eyes and plump lips and that stupidly gorgeous smile. It was almost embarrassing how close he was already, even before picking up the pace and stroking himself, his palm slick with arousal.

God, that moment in the bathroom, after that asshead spilled his drink on Steve's shirt… Billy had no idea of how that happened but suddenly they were standing really fucking close to each other. "Is it bad?", Steve had asked, probably referring to the stain. Billy had been barely able to take his eyes off Steve's face for long enough, to take a look, before he confirmed, that Steve looked good anyway, provoking another blush from him.

Billy opened his eyes and looked into the mirror. He saw how flush his face and neck were, how his chest, exposed by the opened buttons from the red shirt he decided on wearing, was turning red, too. Another groan slipped his lips as he imagined Steve standing close behind him now, his own hand being replaced by the other one's. Billy was panting, definitely too far gone to care about noise anymore. And with him and Tommy, it wasn't like there was really anything left that could embarrass one in front of the other.

He grunted and some kind of guttural groan left his throat as Billy came, spilling inside of his hands but also having something to land on the side of the sink. Billy made a step back and leaned his back against the cold tiles of the wall, allowing himself to be supported by that while catching his breath. 

Wow, suddenly a little sobered up he wasn't too sure anymore how that just happened. Billy swallowed hard and then went over to clean up after himself and fix his clothes, before taking a moment to just come to senses.

As Billy stepped out of the bathroom, he found Tommy sitting on the edge of his own bed next to Carol who was laying down. Only the lamp on his bedside table lighted the room, and Tommy was currently having a smoke, kind of a postcoital routine of his.

"Wow, some bitch really had you riled up, huh?", Tommy joked as Billy headed towards his bed, suppressing his own need for a cigarette right now.

"You two done yet?", Billy grumbled, basically falling into his bed and pulling the blanket over him. "Because I could really use some sleep."

"I dunno.", Tommy said. "We done yet?", he turned around to face Carol.

Carol giggled. "Maybe?"

"You heard that, Billy? I mean, Carol got wet all over, hearing you in there.", Tommy teased.

"Shut up!", Carol laughed. 

"I think, she wants you to join.", Tommy suggested.

Billy wasn't in the mood. They were both stupid and Billy couldn't possibly be shitfaced enough to have a threesome with them. No way, amigo! Even taking Tommy out of this equation wouldn't help. Especially right now, when Billy's taste seemed to be exclusively brown-eyed pretty boys. He turned around to face the wall and hoped they would just shut the fuck up and allow him to just fall asleep.

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The next morning, Billy woke up early. It certainly wasn't because he had gotten enough sleep. Much rather Carol had used the bathroom at the crack of dawn and the flushing sound had been so fucking loud, it had Billy sitting up in his bed. He rolled his eyes as Carol winked at him, barely dressed, returning to their room and slipping into Tommy's bed. He turned over and planned to fall back asleep once more as he heard giggling behind him. Giggling that turned into fumbling and would certainly lead to fucking any minute now. Billy sighed and got out of bed.

What to do? Well, for one thing, he needed to leave the room immediately, if he didn't want his obvious hangover to be followed by a hit of disgust. He just needed to do something that wasn't sexy and that didn't remind him of that Harrington guy. Last night had certainly been an all-time low and he shouldn't have allowed himself to fall into this that hard. Getting drunk hadn't helped and only advanced his crush. Now every memory had him cringe and he couldn't believe that he actually jerked it to this boy. Why was he even attracted to him? Usually, Billy just found himself falling for the more outgoing characters, not someone radiating this kind of innocence. Or, more accurately, usually Billy wouldn't fall for anyone. He would just enjoy fucking around. This was different. It felt like deeper. Instead of shallow attraction, somehow this affected him all over, body and mind. So he should definitely take care of this before he would end up going literally crazy.

Also, the last time he'd been this attracted to a guy had been ages ago. So why was it, everything this guy had to do was to show up and it just turned Billy super-gay again? Fuck off, that dude wasn't even that pretty. Billy Hargrove certainly had his fair share of dicks, but no thank you! He knew what he preferred and it was girls like Laurie, just as fucked-up as himself, girls, that he didn't really care about. He was not into innocent pretty boys, even if they smelled good and looked that gorgeous.

He stood up with the vague idea of getting Steve out of his mind. Exercising sounded like the best idea, so just disappeared into the bathroom for a moment to get his hair in order, wash the hangover off his face and change into sweatpants, before he was grabbing his bag and rushed out of the door, ignoring the moaning that was coming from inside. Gladly both Tommy and Carol had classes earlier that day so they wouldn't be there when Billy returned. 

Billy was still tired as hell as he was getting down to the ground floor, passing the community room and smelling fresh coffee. He decided to get some later, as his eyes widened in surprise as he found Steve and Laurie both standing in front of one of the coffee machines. Laurie, even though Billy couldn't see her face, looked like she much rather wanted to be anywhere else right now. And somehow, Billy got the same impression from Steve, even though it might be caused by a different reason.

As Billy noticed the bags they were carrying, he was close to sneaking back into his room, where he would just cover his ears or kick those idiots out. Going into the gym while Steve was there, too, probably won't help with any of his problems. But instead of going back, he just decided to hurry and get going. This way, he would be able to leave earlier and maybe they wouldn't even meet.

So Billy just looked straight ahead and walked past them fastly until he heard his own name being called.

"Billy?" 

Oh yes, Billy could definitely get used to this pretty boy saying his name. He stopped and turned around slowly, a brow raised, as he acted as if he hadn't seen the two of them standing there just moments ago.

Laurie, who was now holding a cup of coffee as if her life depended on that, looked at him in utter disbelief. "You're kidding me, right?"

"What?", Billy said innocently. 

"What are you doing?", Laurie furrowed her brows.

"I always go to the gym early.", Billy stated. "Why are you even awake?"

He knew that Laurie usually slept in which is why his question was way more justifiable than Laurie's. It also was another reason for her majoring in anthropology. The classes were set later.

"I…", Laurie looked over at Steve. "Just showing the new guy around. Apart from that, I should really get more exercise in." With a skeptical expression, she ran a hand over her lean hips, probably trying to get some attention there. Steve didn't bother to look, though. His eyes were set on Billy who was working really hard not to meet his gaze.

"I mean, I can take him if you want to get a few more hours of sleep.", Billy offered, ignoring his original intention.

Billy didn't miss the scandalized look on Laurie's face. "I'm well awake now, thank you very much.", she said sarcastically.

"So, let's go then?", Steve asked, hopefully. 

Dang, not looking at him was going to be very difficult and Billy wasn't even drunk.

Releasing a sigh, Billy nodded and turned around. "Yeah, let's go.", he agreed as he led the way.

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Okay, Billy had been expecting this to get difficult, but maybe not to that extent. He got a bit of an idea of what he had gotten himself into when Steve stumbled into the changing room with him.

"I think Laurie is mad at me for asking to go here.", Steve mumbled.

"Oh don't worry. I don't think it's you she's mad about.", Billy said.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing.", Billy soon said. "She just isn't a morning person. So where did you exercise before?" Better change the topic before things started getting weird.

"Uh... I usually ran in the park behind my old dorm. With Nancy. So I definitely need a new place." 

Billy nodded. "Yeah, I see. This place is good. Cheap. Has all you need.", he pointed out the obvious things.

"You go here often?", Steve looked at him with big open eyes. Damn, Billy couldn't help but lick his bottom lip and feel his heart beating a bit faster.

"Couple of times a week?"

Steve smiled appreciatively. Then he turned his gaze towards his back that he had placed on a bench in front of him.

Billy couldn't stop his jaw from dropping as he noticed the clothes Steve was pulling out. Especially the pair of running shorts looked… dangerous. Dammit. Billy decided to quickly change his shirt and ran off. He was already wearing sweats, so there was no need of staying here any longer, especially as Steve started to undress next to him. After all, he was better off being safe than sorry.

"See you inside.", Billy mumbled. He stuffed his bag into a locker and was gone before looking twice at Steve.

Billy had no idea how Laurie had managed this, but she was already in the gym, looking good, considering that it was practically the middle of the night for her. She was wearing tight leggings and a loose shirt that had a deeper neckline. Someone definitely wanted to show off her body.

Billy thought about directly starting his training session, but as she looked at him, he decided to walk over to her instead.

"Did you follow us, asshole?", she snarled.

"I didn't even know you were going.", Billy said. If he had known that, he wouldn't be here right now. "I just needed to get out before Tommy and Carol started boning again."

"Whatever. What do you think of him?", she shook off the anger quickly and sounded more interested now. One thing he liked about her. She wasn't one for holding a grudge.

"I don't know." Now they were both staring at the door that let into the changing room. 

"You want to explain what happened yesterday? I mean, you were seriously cockblocking me…", she grumbled.

"Yeah sorry about that…", Billy mumbled. "Wasn't intentional."

"It looked intentional. What's your deal with that? I thought you were done with guys…"

"I… shit, I have no idea, but don't worry, I'll back off. He's all yours.", Billy decided.

"For real?", she raised both brows.

Billy nodded. It would get way easier if she started hooking up with Steve. Billy never had any interest in a guy, Laurie had gotten her hands on.

"Hm. Thanks.", Laurie nodded approvingly.

"And now, beware of a sight, girl, let me tell you that much.", Billy announced.

"What?", Laurie asked. But then the door was opened and Steve Harrington walked in, wearing runners shorts. They were sitting lose on his hips and revealed very long and pale legs, Billy couldn't take his eyes off of. 

"Son of a bitch...", he mumbled while Laurie next to him was gasping in surprise.

Steve stood there for a moment, looking for a familiar face until he noticed them and jogged over.

Fuck… Now Billy couldn't really help but imagine the things he could do to him. If he could only justify taking Steve back into the changing room, where he could push him into a stall and steal a touch from those pretty long legs. Billy betted they were soft and Steve would squeal when Billy sucked a mark on them. Would he moan? He definitely looked that kind of guy and Billy would love to find out. If he was that kind of guy that would grab Billy by the hair and call out his name, not caring if anyone heard them. If his knees got all week under Billy's touches. Fuck… Billy cleared his throat and earned himself an elbow from Laurie who mumbled a "Quit starring!", under her breath.

Billy forced himself to take his gaze off of Steve, and not only because Laurie had said so. Instead, he walked to one of the treadmills. It was definitely too early to excuse himself to the bathroom, so he better got himself distracted before he was sporting a more serious problem between his legs. And he should especially do so since the plan of getting distracted was why he came here in the first place.

Usually, Billy liked to start off with running. He would jog for a while just to warm himself up and then he would do sprints until he was physically unable to do more. That's when he would take a short break before going over and doing some lifting. He had the vain hope that Laurie would drag pretty boy over there to one of the classes. Doing Yoga or whatever. Except that Yoga would probably just add to the bad ideas Billy was already getting. He'd better not imagine how Steve would look, all spread out. Although Billy would bat that this guy was pretty flexible and now that thought wasn't really helping. But instead of going to a class, it was Steve who took Laurie along. Her eyes just widened in terror when she noticed that Steve wanted to run as well, obviously expecting her to do the same thing. And a moment later, Steve was on the treadmill next to Billy and started to run.

Billy couldn't help it and he looked over to him every now and then, even though, at this pace, he shouldn't be looking anywhere else than straight ahead. But god, seeing how Steve got all flushed and sweaty and how his hair started to become a real mess, Billy couldn't allow himself to miss that. It looked like Steve needed this bit of exercise just as bad as Billy did and Billy was asking himself whether this was about Nancy. And why did he care so much how she broke this boy's heart?

Steve was definitely fit. He was a steady runner. Even though Laurie tried to keep up, she certainly wasn't on the same level. She wasn't even unfit or anything, just definitely not used to exercise, especially that early in the morning. So she was gasping and taking breaks, while Billy couldn't because Steve's stamina got him into competition mode. They were running pretty much at the same pace and now Billy was really curious to see who would break in earlier.

It didn't take long for Steve to notice that Billy was watching and Billy was pretty sure he got where this was going because apart from sweating and breathing heavily, he was grinning now like he didn't even think about stopping.

"It's not a competition, you know?", Steve panted after a while.

Billy was starting to taste a hint of metal but he certainly wouldn't stop. "Just give up, then.", Billy suggested. He knew himself. The only way he was going to stop was if he would be falling off that goddamn treadmill, even if his whole body was aching.

"Fuck… FUCK.", Steve was gasping.

Billy grinned. "Come one!", he encouraged. "Show me what you got!"

"Shut up!", Steve mumbled.

Billy would have loved to look over to him, but he was already seeing stars so that definitely wouldn't be the best idea.

Their race went on for what felt like a whole painful eternity until another curse slipped Steve's lips and he pushed the emergency stop button and got off of the treadmill.

High on his feeling of victory, Billy continued for ten endless seconds, before he did the same thing.

Steve was bowing forward, his hands on top of his thighs and definitely having trouble to keep his balance. Billy felt close to vomiting himself, even though he couldn't keep himself from grinning.

"Fuck.", Steve cursed breathily. He stood up and looked at Billy, lips parted but with an amused expression on his face. "Fuck, you're good."

"Thanks.", Billy bit his bottom lip and beamed back at him. 

They were already standing close so it didn't feel wrong to lean against Harrington just for a second. At least Billy had planned on it to only be a second but Steve was immediately melting into this, and their weak stands being supported by the other felt good, so they both kept on. 

"Hey, what's wrong?", only Laurie's nosy voice had them both to back off and turn around. She was carrying a steaming cup and obviously just returned from getting herself something to drink.

"Nothing.", Billy and Steve almost said at the same time.

She raised a brow and studied Billy's appearance, followed by Steve's. Then her gaze returned to Billy. "Idiots.", she mumbled.

Billy's grin just grew a little wider, while Steve started to chuckle.

Well, so much for getting distracted in the gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I haven't written anything in a while and this chapter has been sitting here for quite some time, so I decided to finish it. For anyone waiting for an update for one of my other stories: I won't make any promises, but I'm slowly easing into writing again and I'm looking forward to returning with a bunch of great chapters. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this Billy-centric story.
> 
> The third chapter is half-way written, too, so it might be up a bit sooner than this one. There might be a bit of late-night baking and two boys being really sore after their stupid race in that one.


	3. Nightly activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is still trying to talk himself out of his crush but Steve is not making that very easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

Okay, running a race with Steve Harrington on those stupid treadmills might have seemed like a good idea when they started, but not even minutes afterward, Billy was really fucking sure that it was a bad one. And it was no wonder actually because lately, Billy seemed to be full of those stupidly bad ideas, especially when it came that brown-eyed boy.

That they both turned into a panting mess afterward wasn't getting any less awkward once Laurie showed back up. Honestly, Billy was really determined to find an excuse for leaving soon, the second her judging look reminded him that, in fact, he and Steve really weren't alone in that big gym. Not only did he hurt all over and didn't feel like lifting or doing any other training, he mainly wanted to avoid going into the showers together with Steve. He was looking hot enough as is, Billy didn't feel the need to take clothes out of the equation. At least not right now. He had promised Laurie to back off, so that's what he would do.

A funny thing, how he got to the gym to get Steve out of his mind. Because now he would feel the physical reminder of this encounter for a good while, judged by the way his legs already turned into jelly.

The good thing was that Laurie ended up giving him the excuse he was looking for. She told him and Steve (although mainly Steve) about the new smoothie bar she had discovered in the back of the gym. Steve looked a bit unsure about it but he agreed to go there with her, probably to avoid any other training right now. Billy immediately used this to excuse himself. Steve had looked as if he much rather would like Billy to join or, and that was just a thought that crossed Billy's mind for the glimpse of a second, that he wanted to follow Billy into the showers. And Billy didn't even need to look into Laurie's face when Steve asked him to join them to know that this was the moment to decline this invitation. If only to not endanger their friendship any further. And, indeed, the girl looked very pleased when Billy left them behind. Billy, on the other hand, was really glad that there was no very naked Steve Harrington giving him any ideas, so he could just hurry up and focus on getting clean before he would return to the dorms. Without Steve there, there also was no need to restrict himself from letting out those kinds of moans and groans that naturally slipped his lips when hot water eased the soreness of his muscles. Those would have only added to the already insane amount of tension between them, although Billy would lie if he said that at that moment in the showers he didn't picture how Steve would look in all his glory right beside him, maybe washing his hair or simply standing under the spray of the shower, stealing glimpses of Billy, cheeks pink, lips slightly parted…

Another guy entering the showers brought Billy's fantasy to a prompt end, so he just reached for a towel and got dressed, focussing on not letting his thoughts drift off again.

Walking out of the gym, Billy finally started losing a bit of that tension inside of him, that wasn't just caused by his aching body, even though he could still feel the race in his bones. It was still pretty early in the day, but it was a lot lighter outside than it was when they got here. So much that Billy had to squint, the second he stepped outside. It was also pretty cold but after a workout, Billy usually liked that, the fresh air biting his skin.

He was already lost in thought when he walked along the sideway and noticed Laurie and Steve sitting behind the glass wall of the gym. Billy stumbled pretty ungracefully, but he was able to catch himself and avoid falling, so he turned around to look at them, both pretty sweaty and still in their gym clothes. Both Laurie and Steve had a big colorful drink on the table in front of them, Laurie just stirring it with a spoon, while Steve was drinking, his lips carefully closed around the straw. Billy's jaw went tight and he fought an upcoming blush, glad that the coldish outside gave an excuse for any redness.

Laurie was the first one to notice him. She raised an arm and waved. Of course, she was nice now. After all, Billy pretty much served Steve to her on a silver plate and now she had him all to herself. Billy just smiled and nodded in her direction, even if he felt that the smile wasn't feeling quite honest and there was some tightening in his chest. He decided that he shouldn't just stand there and instead continue on his way home as Steve looked up, a big and awkward, lopsided smile plastered on his face.

Billy couldn't help it and returned that expression, his eyes firmly locked with Steve's now, surprised how easy he could put on a smile and actually mean it. Well, at least until Laurie, who had obviously just tried to talk to Steve, elbowed Steve's side to get his attention back. Billy, still confused by his own reaction, used that distraction to walk off before those big brown eyes were able to trap him again. But, walking away, he wondered if, after that, Steve's face might have shown some disappointment when he looked through the window and Billy was gone.

Well, Billy thought, his drunk-self was certainly onto something yesterday. This boy was way too fucking pretty for his own good and Billy wasn't sure anymore how he felt about Laurie trying to get into his pants. Not necessarily because that's something Billy selfishly wanted for himself but because Steve appeared to be far out of both of their leagues. But then, who wasn't? As a matter of fact, Billy was very intrigued to find out who this Nancy chick was that broke up with Steve. She probably had someloosee screws for a move like that. Or a pretty damn good reason and Billy would love to figure out what that was about.

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Billy should have known better than to force himself to class after a morning like that. Maybe it was the distant fear of stumbling into Steve Harrington again if he didn't stick to his own schedule. At least he was pretty sure that it couldn't be his academic diligence, at least not for this class. It was only his required math class and the ancient professor wasn't giving two fucks about who was attending as long as they somehow passed their exams at the end of the semester. And that had never been a problem to Billy, usually not thanks to the preparation he got in class.

Thirty minutes into a boring lecture about some kind of mathematics problem, Billy would read up on sometime later, he started to feel his legs cramping. Especially his calves. It wasn't super unusual for this to happen. It certainly did pretty much whenever he didn't rest after a workout. But in that cramped hall, surrounded by people, it wasn't like he could just stretch to make it go away easily. So in the end, Billy made it to the break, trying to breathe calmly and get his mind off of the growing pain. By the way, the girl next to him looked at him he knew that he didn't look too good. Probably pale and also a bit sweaty. She probably thought that he was sick when all he wanted was for this stupid cramp to stop and to head home already.

In the end, he was the first one, rushing out and finding the nearest restroom, not only to stretch out his aching calves but only to wash the cold sweat off of his face. Instead of going back for the second half of class, he decided to head back to his room and skip on econ, too. He knew where to get his notes and after all, he felt like he had a pretty good excuse.

The way out off college was okay, actually. It wasn't too much of a distance so Billy decided to walk home. He was also gullibly believing that maybe a bit of slow walking helped with his cramping situation and overall soreness. Little did he know that the biggest challenge he had yet to face would be the stairs in his own dorm.

In fact, he was pretty sure he never took that fucking long to get up there, not when he was buzzed out or high or making out with a girl while trying to get to his room. Every step he took, almost made him groan in response. And some actually did, much to the amusements of some of the others, passing him. Billy didn't care and just flipped a few of them off, until finally, FINALLY he reached his room and fell face-first into his bed, now releasing the longest groan, he let out the whole day.

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As a knock on the door woke Billy, he wasn't quite sure if he just fell asleep or if he literally fell unconscious. He was certainly laying in bed just the way he collapsed into it after class and he had no idea how much time passed since that happened. Trying to stand up just told him that it certainly hadn't been enough time for him to feel any less sore. But he managed to get to the door and pull it open nonetheless.

In front of him, there was Laurie, offering him a grin as she looked at him. She was definitely dressed up, wearing a short skirt and having her hair and makeup done.

"Laurie.", he greeted, tilting his head.

"Ouch. What happened to you?", she asked with a frown.

"Hm?"

She raised her hand and wiped her thumb over his cheek. He had probably just slept on a wrinkle that was now a red line on his face.

"I was sleeping.", he explained. "Fuck, that was the worst workout in ages."

"You've been barely in there for an hour.", Laurie raised a brow. "Whatever. Get dressed, I want to go out."

"What?", Billy made a step back, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Come on! It'll be fun. I promise to have you back at a decent time. Let's just get shitfaced, okay?"

"Fuck, Laurie, I don't think I can go anywhere. I barely managed to get up the stairs when I came back from class."

"Oh, fuck you, Hargrove! Steve ditched me, too. Says, he's _too_ sore.", she rolled her eyes.

"He's staying here?", Billy asked, immediately distracted from excusing himself.

"Don't get any fucking ideas, you hear me?", Laurie warned with a raised finger.

Billy just smirked and raised both his hands in defense. "Me?", he asked amused. "Worried, I might sneak over and deflower him before you get your chance?"

"You keep your filthy hands to yourself, asshat!", Laurie argued with an amused undertone. "You promised, remember?" With the last addition, the irony in her voice was gone and she was definitely serious.

Billy sighed. "Yeah, I did. Also, I'm way too fucking tired to do anything. Or anyone for that matter.", he winked at her. "I'll be back to sleep in a good minute. Where are you going anyway?"

"A chick from one of my classes is throwing a party. I'm probably not even staying long since nobody bothers to come along with me.", she said sarcastically, not hiding her annoyance.

"You know, I usually would…", Billy said, his voice a little softer.

"Weak excuse, Hargrove.", she rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Now tell me, how do I look?" Laurie made a step back and turned around, giving her a good view of her body, showing off in those clothes.

"Smokin' hot.", Billy grinned. "But you already know that."

"I'm not quite sure, Bambi over there noticed, though.", Laurie worried.

"Bambi, huh?", Billy raised a brow, looking at the door to her room behind her.

"You get it, right? Big brown eyes, doe-face…", Laurie explained.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it.", Billy snorted. "Oddly fitting."

"Right?", Laurie laughed. "Well, he has his face buried in some book. And if I pick a skirt any shorter, it would have to be a fucking belt, so any ideas?"

"You ask me how to properly seduce him?", Billy raised both of his brows high.

"Well, he certainly seems to pay attention to you, doesn't he, asshole?", Laurie mumbled. She sounded a bit embarrassed for even bothering to ask him.

"Maybe try to go easier with the insults.", Billy suggested. As he earned himself another angry look, he added "I have no fucking clue, Laurie. He might just not be over his ex yet. Not interested in a relationship. Maybe he just wants to hang out with another guy. Who knows? But he must be blind to not appreciate your effort, so don't worry about it."

Laurie tried to bite down on that smile that was crawling over her face before her eyes met Billy's. "Aw, look who's sweet-talking.", she teased. Laurie smiled broadly now and she made a step forward to press a kiss to his cheek, running cold fingers along his jawline, right afterward.

"Me?", Billy grumbled, not quite able to fight the smirk. "Now go and get laid or whatever.", he shrugged, trying to act unaffected.

"And back to asshole. Just how I like you.", Laurie winked. "See you later, Hargrove."

"Laurie."

Billy kept standing in the doorframe, watching after Laurie who was definitely swaying her hips intentionally and Billy certainly wasn't someone to not appreciate that, even though his attraction for her had decreased quite a bit since the new guy moved in. She was still hot. He still liked her. But there just was something about Steve Harrington because Billy certainly couldn't get him off of his mind.

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The plan of going back to sleep in a minute turned out to be much harder to put into action than Billy had planned. And not even because Billy didn't try. It was just that he was, all of the sudden, super aware of every itch and every ache in his legs and he just wasn't able to relax enough to fall asleep. And then, after he finally managed to calm himself down, at least to some degree, it was Tommy who stumbled into their room making a hell of a noise and turning all the lights on so Billy was wide awake yet again.

And being awake wasn't good. It didn't only mean that Billy was in what could be considered physical pain, his mind repeatedly wondered a few feet down the hall where right now, a certain Steve Harrington was laying on his bed all on his own, nose buried in a book and probably just as sore as Billy was.

It got easier when Tommy was ready for sleep, too. Billy just tried to find a comfortable position in which he could feel his legs a little less. Only that this wasn't fucking easy because every turn hurt him like a bitch while he just wanted to sleep. There was just this stinging pain all over his legs that forced another groan out of him. He blinked into the darkness and moved his blanked to the side to try and massage the muscle on his right upper thigh, only to let out another groan in response.

"What the fuck, Hargrove?", Tommy mumbled with a sleepy voice. "Are you seriously jerking off right now?"

Billy rolled his eyes. "What? Offering your fucking help?", he grunted, sarcastically.

Tommy snorted.

"I'm not. It's just my legs. Hurt like hell.", Billy said. After all, he wouldn't want for Tommy to get any ideas.

"Thanks for sharing, asshole. You wanna talk about your childhood next?", Tommy asked, definitely annoyed

Billy shook his head in disbelief. After all, that jerk had started the talking. "Why are you even here, Tommy? Carol finally sick of your shit?"

"You know what?", Tommy asked angrily, turning on the light on his bedside table and looking at him all enraged. "Good fucking question! I'm leaving. Have fun with your right hand, will ya?"

"I always have.", Billy flipped him off as Tommy stormed out of the room in nothing but his boxer shorts. Carol's room wasn't far down the hall.

While Tommy being gone certainly was a big fucking improvement to before, it wasn't any help with the original problem of Billy's legs still hurting like hell and him being unable to fall asleep.

He still tried and did so for at least another hour. He was certainly tired enough so he figured it might just be a matter of time. But at some point, he just gave up and thought he might as well do something about it. It might have been thinking about Laurie's offer from earlier that gave him the idea, but getting drunk as pain management and to get him sleepier sounded reasonable. He really should have bought some Aspirin when he ran out because that would make things much easier now. He decided to walk into the shared kitchen and grab himself a few beers or some booze or anything that would help. After all, he could just replace it in the morning. He wasn't having any early classes, so getting a bit buzzed out wasn't totally insane.

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The first thing that threw Billy of was the smell in the hallway. He wrinkled his nose and blinked his eyes, asking himself whether this was just him being tired. Why the fuck did it smell like fucking cake in here at like three in the morning?! Billy's frown grew a little deeper and he walked a bit faster in the direction of the kitchen.

The second thing that was weird was the noise. Billy certainly had heard enough of that to recognize it as the sound of someone getting off. Were there people fucking in the kitchen? _And_ baking?

Well, there was definitely someone groaning.

Billy didn't turn around though. He went there to get a drink and if anyone was getting it on, they could just fuck off. So he walked straight up into the kitchen just to find himself confronted with a sight that almost made him stumble right back down the hallway.

Right in front of him there was Steve Harrington. His back was turned towards Billy and he had one leg up to a chair and leaned forward, obviously doing some stretching. Billy smirked and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. He was not thinking about walking off especially since he just laid eyes on the dimples on Steve's back because his shirt had moved up a little and was now revealing the small of his back. Billy was imagining just gripping those lean hips and pulling Steve close against himself. Billy bit down on his tongue so there was no groan slipping his own lips.

Instead, he said: "Need some help there?"

Well, Steve almost fell off that chair and he turned bright red in embarrassment, only showing slight signs of relief when he discovered that it was Billy who was walking in.

"Fuck.", Steve panted. "What's your deal?! Sneaking in here like that…", he grumbled.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that.", Billy said, getting a little closer. He leaned against the table with his hips, positioning himself next to Harrington, when he noticed that smell again. "I didn't know it would be you, smelling like fucking birthday cake in here."

"Chocolate.", Steve said bluntly.

"Pardon?"

"It's chocolate cake. Not birthday.", Steve clarified.

"Oh…", Billy looked at the oven. "Oh.", he said again. "Chocolate cake, I see." He smirked.

Steve licked his lips, before he leaned against the table as well, looking at Billy now.

Billy still couldn't really believe that this moment was real and that he was standing in the community kitchen at 3 in the morning with Steve Harrington, who was baking a damn cake.

"That stupid race killed me.", Steve mumbled. He pulled his shirt down a notch, definitely to Billy's annoyance because he was actually really grateful for each bit of this boy's skin, he could lay his eyes on. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same.", Billy mumbled. Before Steve could answer, Billy pushed himself off the table to get over to the fridge and get himself a drink.

"Baking.", Steve said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, I figured that. Want one?", Billy raised one of the beers, that he found in the fridge.

"That isn't yours, is it?" By the sound of Steve's voice, Billy could definitely tell that he had a brow raised in suspicion.

Billy let his tongue dart out, putting on a challenging expression. "I'll replace it tomorrow.", he said.

Steve looked at him without change. Since Billy didn't want to wait for an answer and opened up two beers before he walked over to Steve. He put the beers on the table and pushed himself up to sit on the edge. Steve looked at him for a moment before he did the same, both of them facing the oven in which Billy could see a whole goddamn chocolate cake that looked freaking delicious. They also clinked their beer bottles before Billy took a big sip of that cold and delicious liquid that hopefully silenced the weird feeling in his legs, that arguably already got better now that he wasn't trying to keep them still. Although he had to admit that meeting Harrington already did a lot to get him distracted in the first place.

They stayed silent for a while, just sipping on their beers, as Billy broke the silence asking "Why are you baking at three in the morning?"

Steve just shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." Just as a reflex his hand came to his thigh, rubbing over the sore muscle, releasing a groan as he did so.

And, well, that definitely caught the attention of some part of Billy's body. He could very well see why he thought someone was getting off in here, that noise sounded almost obscene, not getting any better now that Steve was sitting right next to him close enough for their knees to meet.

"Could have given up earlier, pretty boy.", Billy pointed out with a smug grin.

Steve snorted. "Well, so did you.", Steve said, bumping against Bily's shoulder with his own.

Billy felt a shudder going through his body as he felt Steve's arm on his. He wasn't for one second thinking that this was anything else than a gesture between friends, but that didn't mean, he couldn't enjoy the feel of that boy's skin on his own.

"Nah.", Billy smirked. "Not really though."

Steve bit his bottom lip and looked at Billy out of the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, me neither.", he pointed out. "Think, I'm gonna call for a rematch."

Billy laughed. "I'm gonna need at least a week. Not getting my ass back in that gym before that.", he exclaimed. He looked over and could swear that he saw a hint of disappointment on Steve's face. "But then I'm definitely in. Won't miss my chance to see you lose again.", he winked.

Now Steve definitely looked happier. "I won't give it to you that easy this time.", he said.

"Hey, if you ask me very nicely, maybe I'll even let you win.", Billy offered.

"No, you won't.", Steve snorted. "If I know anything about you then it's that."

Billy licked his bottom lip, grin growing a little wider. "You're right. It was fucking close today though. Never really pushed me like that during a workout."

"God, tell me about it. I've never been so sore.", Steve added with a smirk.

"So that stretching didn't help?"Billy definitely tried to make that come out as a tease. He couldn't help that it sounded rather curious and not so much mocking.

"Not really.", Steve didn't even blush when he looked over at Billy.

Billy wasn't even sure how his mind got from that to High School Basketball, maybe the memory was induced by the thought of the shorts that boy wore for training and how it remembered Billy on his first crush, but as soon as a certain picture hit his mind, he really couldn't help it. "Wait, I got an idea.", he announced." Billy then put his beer to the side on the table next to him and he looked at Steve with big eyes and a grin on his face. "Lay down on the floor?", he proposed.

"What?", Steve looked confused.

"I'll help you. There is this stretch that really works wonders.", Billy remembered firm hands on his own legs and the smell of sweat and spicy cologne, all of relieving cramps and soreness like he was never able to do it on his own. "Can't do it by yourself though." Wow, did it really sound that lewd or was it just him?

Steve looked irritated but instead of asking further questions, he just got off the table, pushed a few chairs to the side and laid down, looking up at Billy while looking like the most gorgeous thing, Billy had ever laid eyes on. Fuck, definitely the wrong moment to get distracted, even though having Steve underneath him and finally getting his hands on that boy had been something present on Billy's mind for a while now. Billy got down on his knees right next to Steve.

"So, how does it work?", Steve asked. He put an arm behind his head, to look up at Billy a little more comfortable.

"It's easy. I'm just going to stretch your hamstrings.", he shrugged. "It's okay, right?" Billy set his gaze on Steve's thighs.

"Any chance of getting rid of that pain? Just fucking go for it. I would honestly have you punch me in the face if it would help me sleep.", he put on a dopey smile.

"Well, we just try that afterward, okay?", Billy laughed.

As Steve grinned, Billy moved his hands to Steve's leg, going easy and reaching for the knee and calf area, to not let the tension grow too high. He helped Steve to raise his leg until they got it into a position that was really going heavy on his hamstrings. And damn, of course, Steve was flexible. Billy had to really push and lean into it until Steve was finally squinting his eyes and he released another groan, his face blushing prettily.

"Too much?", Billy asked a bit worried.

"Just a bit more.", Steve mumbled under half-closed lids.

Billy grinned. Then he leaned in a bit more and pushed Steve's leg a bit further, his fingers unintentionally moving over it. Even all the way through the fabric of the sweats, Steve was wearing, Billy could feel the warmth of his skin underneath, the softness.

"Oh god.", Steve groaned, closing his eyes again.

Now that he was leaning forward so much, Billy was petty much hovering above Steve, able to smell the cologne he was wearing. It definitely smelled more expensive than whatever Billy was using himself, or used to smelling on others. But it suited him and Billy could get drunk on that scent.

"Other leg?", Billy suggested, clearing his throat when he noticed how husky his voice had gotten.

"Yeah, yeah… good idea", Steve was gasping. He sounded like he had been just as lost in the moment as Billy when he blinked his eyes open but Billy told himself not to think too much about that.

So with a bit of awkwardness rising between them and both of them trying to avoid directly looking at the other one, Billy got to the other side and raised Steve's other leg. It looked like that one needed the stretch and the release more and Steve was rolling his eyes back instantly. Billy was focussing harder on keeping himself together and keeping what they were doing strictly casual. So it was strictly casual how his fingers gripped the soft flesh of Steve's leg, totally casual how he breathed in that boy's scent and felt his warmth. No, that really was something that just casually happened on casual encounters, nothing weird and certainly no tension that was driving Billy nuts. Especially when their eyes met…

"What the FUCK are you doing?!"

Both Billy and Steve looked to the side where Laurie was standing, still dressed up even if her makeup didn't survive the party too well.

Steve cleared his throat and moved a bit underneath Billy's hands. "Stretching?" 

Billy put on a smug grin as he saw the anger on Laurie's face.

"Well, could you not do this in the kitchen for christ's sake?", She shook her head. "Wait? Are you baking?!", confusion mixed in with the annoyance from before

"Harrington is.", Billy said. He slowly let go of Steve's leg, carefully helping him into a seated position.

"Well, I go to bed now.", with that Laurie was gone and Billy returned his gaze to Steve who was starting to chuckle now.

"Think we scared her away?", Steve asked amused.

"She probably got all excited hearing you moan and was disappointed to find me in here, too.", Billy explained with a smirk on his lips.

Steve blushed. But Billy didn't miss that he grinned.

Billy held his hand out for Steve to pull him up with him, just a little too close, before letting go and getting his hand on a beer, taking a sip instead.

Laurie wasn't wrong with that this might have been a better thing to do in a room that wasn't as… public. Billy was thinking how Tommy was sleeping over at Carol's but he just couldn't bring himself to ask Steve over there. After all, for what reason? Being too close was dangerous. They had fun together and Billy really didn't want to fuck this up by creating an uncomfortable situation.

Steve was drinking his beer now, too, taking a look at his cake that looked about done by now.

"Now, why the cake?", Billy asked, mainly to distract himself from his own thoughts.

"I just like baking." Steve shrugged. "And cake. If  you want to, I'm gonna save you a piece.", he offered.

Billy couldn't help but lick his lips as he returned his gaze from the cake in the oven back to the pretty boy in front of him. He should get out of there before he was able to make a huge mistake.

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Billy was well aware the way he excused himself out of the kitchen, the half-emptied beer in his hand, was kind of awkward. He pretended to be very tired, that he should get back to bed now, that he had to get up early following day and Steve… well, Billy wouldn't say he looked disappointed, but he sure looked a bit irritated. At least Billy didn't have to face this for long because then he was rushing down the hallway back to his room while Steve probably continued with his cake.

When Billy got to his door, he fished the keys out of his pocket, fumbling for the right one, as he suddenly felt a hand on his back and tensed up in return.

He turned his head, half sure this would be Steve Harrington when he suddenly found Laurie behind him.

"So, you can't accompany me to a party but doing couples' yoga with Steve Harrington on the fucking kitchen floor, that is manageable for you?", Laurie raised a brow.

"Call it the heat of the moment.", Billy said a little uncertain. "Honestly, I just wanted to get a beer and then we talked about how we couldn't sleep, you know?"

He turned around the key and opened the door.

"And then you made some friendship bracelets and your periods synched up? Doesn't explain how you ended up _there_."

Billy smirked. "You just walked in at a weird moment."

"I agree. But then, I'm not sure what I would have walked in ten minutes later."

Billy bit his bottom lip, still hesitating whether he should just walk into his room or continue with this conversation. He liked what Laurie was implying, even if he was pretty damn sure, it wouldn't have ended anywhere with him and Steve. But then, since she did walk in, he would never know.

He looked at the darkness of his room only slightly lightened by the brightness of the hallway and then back at Laurie who was still looking right at him.

"I just wanted to go to sleep. You wanna come in and talk or what?", he asked.

They sometimes did this. On nights like that with Tommy away, but usually, they would have both gotten shitfaced before. Now they both seemed awkwardly sober.

"Not quite what I had in mind.", Laurie said, making a step towards him.

Billy raised a brow. "Then what do you…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, could we skip the talking part and get to the fucking?", she asked half annoyed.

They've done this often enough for Billy not to be taken by surprise but that night, ending in bed with Laurie was probably the last thing he had been thinking about.

"So I guess we‘re over the sweet-talking?", he joked, stepping to the side to let her in.

"Honey, we never were there in the first place.", Laurie stripped out of her shit and exposed her bare breasts, even though the door to the hallway was still wide open. Billy pushed it shut, not taking his eyes off her.

"Now are you going to get on me or do you need more encouraging words?", Laurie bit her lips and looked down on herself as if she needed to be reassured, everything was still in place.

Billy's only response was a growl.

"Right.", Laurie grinned and one moment later, they were on each other, his hands browsing over her smooth body, she, grinding against him.

Because fuck it, what's wrong with having a little fun, right? Just because he was stupidly attracted to Steve Harrington, that didn't mean he couldn't still hook up with Laurie. They've been doing this for a while. They've been doing this while they both had been dating other people, sometimes while they haven't. It wasn't serious. They were horny and they had fun together and that was that. No big deal. Nothing to overthink. Or at least that's what Billy initially repeated in his head.

"Yeah.", he finally brought out, more so to convince himself.

"Yeah?", Laurie raised both brows, her cheeks turned into a pretty pink after they just made out a little.

"Fuck yeah.", Billy grinned and a moment later they were both on his narrow bed, Laurie fighting to get on top and Billy, at least this time, letting her. He usually ended up on top but this time this position allowed him to go easy on his sore muscles. This was good. Fun. And maybe, getting laid would help him to get Steve out of his mind, who was probably still in the common kitchen, tasting like cake batter and looking like fucking Bambi. But Billy shouldn't be thinking about that right now.

With Laurie, it was easy to forget the world around them. Easy to forget there were actually other people because that's just what she did. They even did it a couple of times with Tommy being here or with both Tommy and Carol being in the bed next to them and somehow she had managed that Billy hadn't even noticed they were there. He hadn't heard the snarky comments, the lewdness because it was easy just to pay attention to her. It would be a lie to say that it was as easy to focus this time as it was before. But then it would be a lie to pretend Billy was thinking about Steve Harrington all the time because that's just not what happened. He didn't think about him when he slept with Laurie. But he did when she left his bed and pulled her tight skirt down over her hips and put her shirt back on. Her hair in a bit of a mess but a satisfied look on her lips.

"What?", Laurie asked.

"Hm?"

"You got that look on your face. You better not start getting your feelings involved.", she warned.

"Nah, don't worry.", Billy said with a smile. "I'm just fucking sore, that's all."

"Is this about this stupid race you pulled with Harrington in the gym? What was that even about?"

"Don't know.", Billy shrugged and turned over to find himself a cigarette. "We kinda just went along with it."

"Yeah, I saw that. Neither of you even bothered to listen when I said I was getting coffee.", she said a bit bitter.

"To be fair, I wasn't noticing anything at this moment. It was stupid anyway, so sorry if you felt like we were ignoring you or anything."

"I'm fine. At least you got lost soon after. Even though I almost expected him to go right along with you.", she made that sound a little dark.

"Maybe you should ask him what his deal is.", he suggested.

"Yeah maybe. If I find another opportunity to get him drunk."

Billy smirked. "Someone should warn that boy."

"Don't you dare.", Laurie grinned. "And don't act like you wouldn't enjoy watching him lose it for once."

Billy decided that he better kept quiet at this moment, so he just lighted his cigarette.

"Because I'm really starting to get sick of him being such a tease. We had fun getting drunk at that bar but  now it's like he isn't the slightest bit interested…", by the end of that, Laurie almost sounded like she was just talking to herself. "And why is he looking at you like that?", she said a bit harsher. "It's like you upset him or something."

"Is it?", Billy asked, a little too curious. No, he thought, he hadn't upset him just yet although it was probably only a matter of time for that to happen.

"You know, we had an agreement.", she reminded him.

Oh, fuck you. "I know.", visibly rolling his eyes.

Laurie smirked. "That was fun.", she said. "I'll head over now. And next time I invite you to a party you better not chicken out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this story although I'm struggling with not turning Laurie into as much of a villain. I always have to re-edit and make her less of a bitch. That slow-burn between Billy and Steve is already killing me though. I'm curious how much longer I'll be able to keep these two apart. 
> 
> The next chapter will probably include things like a party and a game and they might get to know each other a little better. I'll try to post more regularly but I also probably need to update my other fics before I return to this one, so all I'm saying is: Stay tuned.
> 
> Also a huge THANK YOU to everyone who read this so far :)


	4. Getting a taste of it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this chapter is long and there is a lot happening. Including cake testing and going to a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

When Billy woke up, he still felt pretty achy but it was not this sharp kind of pain he'd felt the day before. And a long and hot shower did its due to ease his muscles and made him feel a little more ready for that day ahead. Not much to do today, anyway. He had class and he usually ended up in the library to study afterward so that was basically the plan. Leaving the dorm early, there was also not the slightest risk of meeting either Laurie or Steve. After pretty boy's late night baking session and Laurie not leaving Billy's bed until three in the morning, both of them were probably still asleep as he left. He wasn't having class until noon but it was better to hang out at campus, working on some essay or paper than sitting in his room and waiting for something to happen.

Now with the last couple of days being a wild ride, mostly because of his newfound crush and coherent activities, Billy was quite impressed when around 5 p.m. he was sitting in the large library and nothing weird had happened at all. He had paid attention in class, he had talked to a bunch of friends and now, since he started studying, he had counted at least half a dozen girls smirking at him, one even winking because they had hooked up a couple of times. Nothing weird. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was as if nothing had changed.

Okay, on any other day he would probably have his notes abandoned already, to sneak behind the bookshelves and find a quiet counter to make out with someone. Today, on the other hand, he was still feeling a little weird about last night. And that certainly was a first one because he never felt weird after a night with Laurie. Not that he felt weird about Laurie. He felt weird because things just had gotten a little weird at their dorm and that, Billy was pretty fucking sure, was entirely Steve Harrington's fault.

He sighed and tried to return his attention to his studies. Somehow the sound of books being opened, guys typing into their laptops or walking across the big hall did something for him that just calmed him a lot more than the silence in his dorm ever could. There was something about the silence and being alone that just freaked him out sometimes. Now surrounded by people, he was calm enough to focus and usually he wasn't having any trouble, meaning that he did good in most of his exams, better on the papers they had to write. He was really fucking good at that.

"Hargrove. Can't get enough of those damn statistics, huh?"

Billy noticed the shadow over his paper before he even looked up.

When Billy turned his head he was staring at familiar grey eyes. That guy, Ryan or Bryan or something like that, if Billy remembered correctly, was the same major as he was and they met a couple of times during their studies or on parties. Billy especially remembered that one incident in which he was decently drunk and both of them got a little touchy at another dorm party. They haven't gotten any further with this because although Billy definitely enjoyed hooking up with guys, he preferred girls on most occasions. The few guy crushes or even boyfriends he had, had never been a really regular thing. So he hadn't pursued this any further.

"Hey.", Billy smiled politely.

"So…", the guy looked down at Billy's notes. "Looks like you paid a lot more attention than I just did.", he laughed awkwardly.

"I like to be prepared.", Billy shrugged the compliment off.

"Okay, listen man, I know we haven't really… Talked about anything or… You think we could go out some time?"

Billy bit down on the inside of his cheek. That was the only disadvantage of a place like this. You can't just grab your things and run off, pretending to be busy. He couldn't run off to avoid this conversation, like he had done a couple of times now, often when he noticed thi guy looking at him from a distance.

"Listen, I…", Billy started, trying to do this fast. Like ripping of a bandage or something.

"Come on, Hargrove. I promise it'll be fun. Give a guy a chance.", Bryan (or Ryan) grinned at him, definitely not losing his confidence yet. Billy just looked at him, the slightly leaner figure and the dark, curly hair. He was definitely goodlooking and definitely into Billy. And from what Billy remembered, he was a decent kisser so there wasn't really anything to loose by going on one date, was it?

"Yeah, alright.", he agreed, putting on a smile.

"Great.", the guy showed some teeth, definitely relieved by that answer. "How 'bout this weekend? I'll sent you the details?"

"Yeah, okay.", Billy nodded. He ripped off a piece of his notes and scribbled down his phone number. "Here. You can just call."

Okay, it might not be the smartest move but maybe Billy just wanted to forget about the weirdness that was going on and get back to normal. And if Laurie wasn't giving him normal, maybe getting lost in those grey eyes would. Because at least he was into Billy. And after all, Billy only agreed to go on one date. Not much to lose with that.

The guy carefully studied Billy's number, before he nodded and walked off. Now that, in Billy's opinion, was definitely a good thing because he wasn't in the mood for fucking smalltalk right now. So he returned his gaze, once again, to his notes that were a little crooked now. He got a decent hour of working done after that until he decided to call it a day and return to his dorm, maybe think of a normal fucking activity to spend the evening. Because just staying at home was not an option and going to the gym had to be delayed for at least a few more days.

Luckily, before he got back, Billy remembered the fact that he still had to replace those beers he stole for himself and for Steve. He also stocked up on some other things he needed like some painkillers and a bunch of snacks, while he was already there.

Back in his room, he grabbed two of the beers he'd bought and walked into the community kitchen. Of course, he'd bought a six pack but with the frequency in which beers disappeared in the shared fridge, he preferred to keep the ones he had left in his room. And of fucking course, his walk from the hallway to the kitchen didn't leave him uneffected. Now the memory of having Steve on the ground underneath him right there made him flush a little and also made him grin easier than the presence of any Bryan or Ryan probably ever could. And that certainly wasn't a reaction that he should be having, for Christ's sake…

Not quite sure in what exact mood he was, because he was feeling angry, horny and also strangely good all at the same time, he decided to go back to his room and just lay down, listen to some music. Usually, either Laurie or Tommy brought up an event on evenings like this and if it sounded any good, Billy would go. Music always helped clearing his mind, especially when working out or driving around wasn't an option.

So Billy was laying on his bed, playing some classic rock and just dozing off to it. His playlist jumped from Mötley Crüe to Metallica to Iron Maiden and he loved it, loved the sound of it and how it had some kind of thing, modern music just couldn't recreate.

It was the sound of someone knocking at his door that finally got him out of his music induced trance.

Groaning, Billy pushed the pause button and got up to see who exactly dared to disturb him. Whoever it was, they better had a fucking good reason.

"What?!", he asked angrily, pulling the door open and makeing a step towards the figure in front of him. It took him a moment to realize that it was Steve, looking at him in momentary confusion. "Oh, hey…", Billy said in a bit of surprise and because he immediately regretted his initial anger.

"Hey.", the hesitation on Steve's face was replaced by a big dopey smile and Billy wanted to punch himself for how much he was already gone for that boy.

"Yeah, hey, what do you…", he mumbled, looking down at Steve and stopping as he saw what the boy was carrying. "That your cake?" Billy's eyes had found the plate with what looked like a quarter of a chocolate cake, frosted and decorated and looking freaking delicious.

"Promised you a piece, didn't I?", Steve asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh… Brought a fork, too?", Billy asked. In the back of his head, there was the vain hope that they would have to go in the kitchen. There would be people there and this whole scene couldn't turn weird. Weird as in two guys sharing cake alone in a bedroom…

"Two actually." After saying that, Steve balanced the cake board on one hand while reaching for his back pocket and pulling two silver forks out with the other.

Billy raised a brow watching the other boy until he noticed how the cake looked dangerously unstable on Steve's hand, close to falling over. So he reached forward to catch it with both hands, unintentionally brushing against Steve's fingers with his and of course immediately meeting his gaze, brown eyes wide opened.

"Careful there…", Billy warned, looking away because while they were standing so close, eye to eye contact could be dangerous.

"So, can I come in?", Steve asked. Now, no matter the level of danger in that, in no way on earth could Billy send that boy away now.

Instead, he muttered "Uh, yeah, come in.", before he stepped to the side to let Steve in, unsure where this was going.

And Steve, Steve just smiled innocently as if he was totally oblivious to the fighting that already went on in Billy's head. He walked past, leaving that delicious smell behind, that might not only be cake after all and left Billy a little delirious because it brought back even more vivid memories of last night than just walking into the kitchen did.

Billy followed him and put the cake onto that one table in his and Tommy's room. Originally they had been fighting on who had the main right to use it for his studies but then Billy mainly studied in the library while Tommy probably never really studied whatsoever so they used the table to just put random shit on it.

Now Billy was only glad that that asshat Tommy hadn't shown up since their little disagreement last night because Billy wasn't in the mood for any of that right now. After he put the cake down, he went on to pick up at least a few of those clothing items that were laying on the ground here and there, to make this place slightly more presentable and get rid of the harsh contrast to the pretty boy standing in it.

"Don't bother, I don't mind.", Steve said.

"Oh… Okay." Billy looked a little unsure about this but then Steve raised the fork invitingly standing in front of the cake and Billy just thought about this for a moment before he slowly walked over, stealing one of the two forks right out of  Harrington's hand.

"I must say, I'm slowly getting an idea of why you're into midnight baking. The result comes in handy."

"And you haven't even tasted it yet.", Steve reminded him with a big grin.

With that, Billy just spiked his fork into the side of the cake, to get a bite out of it. He didn't bother to put it into pieces beforehand. After all, Steve didn't bring a knife and he didn't look like he would mind sharing with Billy. Mostly, because the second after Billy hummed around that most delicious piece of baked goodness he'd ever tasted, Steve got a bite himself,  smiling even more dopily at Billy's reaction.

"Fuck, that's delicious…", Billy mumbled a little disbelieving and immediately got himself some more.

"Isn't it? Tried that recipe for the first time. And I'm definitely gonna make that again."

"Please do. And don't forget: Sharing is caring."

"Don't tell me that. The rest of the cake got devoured by some guys I don't even know the names of. Probably the downside of using the community kitchen. And also, you're already on my list of people that I will always save a piece for. I don't know what you did with your hands last night but I slept like a baby afterwards."

Billy blushed. He wanted to say anything to point out that Steve's good night sleep could have another reason but the promise of more baked goods in the future convinced him to remain silent.

"Do we need to save something?", Billy asked after a moment because he realized that the remains of the cake looked a little destroyed.

"Nope.", Steve said. "All for us."

"After that, I definitely need to get back into the gym.", Billy groaned. "Fuck…"

"It's not like a bit of cake will get you out of shape.", Steve mumbled and the way that sounded almost like a compliment made the blush on Billy's face go even deeper.

It only took minutes for the two of them to finish what was left of the cake. Steve then used his fork to scrape together the crumbs on the cake board, to get at least one other bite out of it, while Billy wiped some chocolate out of the corner of his own mouth, putting the fork down.

"What were you doing in here?", Steve asked, after he put down the fork as well, looking at Billy all curious.

Billy couldn't help but notice the tiny bit of cake on his bottom lip. He looked to the side, trying to think of something else than the way, those lips would taste. Or even feel under his finger. Or around…

Billy cleared his throat and walked towards his bed to his stereo. "Just listening to some music.", he mumbled. "I must say, I was a little pissed when someone knocked but after that, feel free to interrupt me anytime." He smirked.

"As long as I bring cake…", Steve added, sounding amused. His voice also appeared closer so Billy didn't jump in surprise when Steve was standing next to him one moment, before he just nonchalantly sat down on Billy's bed, that gave an inviting squeak.

Billy just wanted to groan because having Steve on his bed without being allowed to touch just was the peak of bad luck. But that's probably just what you got after the rest of the day went by that easy. He hesitated for a moment, before he turned the stereo off and sat down next to Steve. There was nothing wrong with just that, right?

Steve smiled and the first thing Billy noticed was that the bit of cake was gone. Billy was almost sad, but he told himself that he shouldn't be staring at that guy's mouth anyway. Or fantazising about touching it for that matter.

"When did you finish that last night?", Billy then asked because it felt like an easy and innocent question and it was definitely better than the silence in which he was just staring at that pretty face in front of him.

Just as Steve opened his mouth to answer, the door was pushed open and Billy jerked to the side just a little, feeling almost exposed in that fragile moment.

"What the fuck…?" He mumbled as he watched Laurie storming into the room. He noticed the smile on her face wearing down as soon as she spotted Steve. "So you don't knock anymore or what?", Billy grumbled.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh… Steve wanted me to try his cake.", Billy said, his distress leaving for a smug grin because he really couldn't leave this opportunity to tease Laurie unused.

Laurie just stared at him in absolute disbelief.

"And t'was fucking delicious.", he licked his lips as if to chase after the taste, even finding a hint of chocolate there.

"Finger lickin' good.", Steve added, probably not quite aware that Billy was mostly teasing Laurie, whose face had turned to a darker shade of red by now.

But it didn't take her long to gain control over her face back. "Yeah?", she asked. "You have something left for me to try?" Her voice sounded noticably more careful.

"Oh, uh… that was all that I could save after a few guys found me with the cake in the kitchen. After they figured, it wasn't a present for someone, they immediately claimed a piece each. I was barely able to save enough for Billy 'n me.", Steve said, pointing at the empty cake board on the table.

Fuck, Billy definitely liked the sound of that last bit. He also bit down on the inside of his cheek to not grin even more widely as he watched Laurie realize that indeed Billy hat gotten a piece saved, while she didn't.

"Sorry, I probably just ate your piece.", Billy finally said, trying to mediate. Just because he got a little lucky didn't mean he should pick a fight with Laurie over it.

"Sorry, Laurie.", Steve added, but it didn't sound like he was feeling too guilty.

"Yeah, whatever…", Laurie shook her head. "Good thing, I found both of you here, though.", she said, now getting into a better mood.

Billy looked up at her. "You wanna go out?"

"Don't tell me you two did some weird exercise again, because I'm really fucking tired of going out on my own. Tommy and Carol will be there too and I need to be at least plastered if I want to even try to face that my own."

"Tommy and Carol?", Billy asked doubtfully.

"Others too.", Laurie explained. "Also free booze. It's going to be fun. You remember that? Fun, like we had before you turned fucking fourty…", she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm not that old!", Billy complained jokingly.

"Says the guy that was laying on his sore back fucking me last night."

On an instant, there was this uncomfortable silence between them that almost appeared louder than the words had before. Billy wasn't even sure why he felt uncomfortable with the fact that Laurie just shared their little encounter with Steve. Maybe it had something to do with the way Steve shifted next to him.

"So…", Laurie said, breaking through the silence. "You're in tonight or what?"

Billy finally dared to turn to the side and look at Steve who had his gaze pinned on his hands, fumbling right there on his lap. He didn't look like he was about to answer that question.

"I guess.", Billy finally said. "Who am I do reject free booze, huh?" He chuckled but it didn't even convince himself.

"How 'bout you?", Laurie asked, her voice immediately a little softer, more luring.

Without looking up or looking at Billy, Steve just nodded slowly.

"Good.", Laurie said with a victorious smile. "Let's leave at nine, alright?"

After waiting a moment too long for an answer that obviously wasn't coming, Laurie just shrugged it off and turned around to leave. All that remained in Billy's room after the door fell shut loudly was the silence between him and the boy next to him. And fuck, he could still feel the warmth of the body next to him that made it appear almost too easy to just melt into this and gain some of that comfort back. It was so close, Billy could almost taste it.

"Is it just me or was that weird?", Billy asked. He tried to go for funny with the tone of his voice, mocking even. But it didn't translate into reality too well.

"I thought, you two weren't…" Steve finalle looked up and turned his head to meet Billy's gaze. And whatever expression Billy could see in those big eyes, he wasn't sure how to read it. It was more than discomfort and not only curiosity, that was for sure.

"Yeah, me neither.", Billy mumbled before Steve could feel the need to finish his sentence. "I don't… It was just so fucking late, alright? And she just showed up after I got back to my room, basically jumping me." He snorted.

"Okay.", Steve replied, slowly, carefully.

"I didn't…", Billy wasn't even sure what he wanted to say here. "We just sometimes hook up. Doesn't mean anything really. I could never date her and she would never date me.", he started to explain although Steve hadn't asked for any explanation. Billy thought that it was probably smart to tell Steve that he still had his chance with Laurie. Billy wouldn't be any competition or anything. He still didn't know exactly, why he said all that.

And Steve didn't say anything.

Just as the silence between them got unbearable again, Billy dared to say something.

"So, you already met Tommy and Carol?"

"I think I was playing basketball with him for a while before I stopped. Kind of a dick, right?"

"A total asshole.", Billy confirmed. "But it's okay when you're shitfaced. Carol's the perfect fit for him though, almost as annoying to be around. And she gets really fucking touchy when she's drunk so keep that in mind and keep a distance."

Steve smirked. "He jealous?"

"Not really. But you might end up getting an offer for something you probably much rather don't even want to even imagine."

Steve snorted. "This evening's already up to an interesting start.", he said. "I better get ready. See you later, I guess." He stood up and Billy immediately followed him, what caused that they were standing way too close to each other, almost at eye level. But Billy didn't dare to step back and by what it looked like, Steve wasn't going to, either.

"Thanks for the cake, pretty boy.", there was the edge of a smile dancing on Billy's lips, mirrored by Steve as soon as that petname was spoken aloud.

"Anytime.", Steve said, tilting his head what kind of brought his face even closer to Billy's. Now it was only a matter of leaning over oh so slightly. No need for heated kisses. Billy just wanted to find out what those pink lips felt like, brushed against his own, that was all. And by the way, Steve was holding his breath Billy was almost able to convince himself that this boy was waiting for him to do just that. Wishful thinking at it's best.

Billy just chuckled, turned his head to the side and made half a step back to get a clear head. Steve wouldn't have to worry, it was still too early for Billy to fuck things up. But a couple of drinks added along with the scenery of a party, and things could look very different.

Steve bit his bottom lip, blinking for a moment to long, before he smiled. "See you later, then.", he mumbled. Without waiting for Billy to answer, he walked towards the door.

"Later, pretty boy.", Billy answered, but the door had already fallen shut.

Usually, Billy wasn't even sure what his opinion on parties was. While he hated most of the people there, he loved getting drunk. Because once you were shitfaced enough, you were basically free. Free to hook up with people, to have fun. But tonight, that wasn't really on his agenda. He couldn't get too drunk being at a party with Steve, couldn't risk anything. The evening was still promising though.

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Usually, getting ready for a party for Billy didn't involve too much time. That didn't mean that he wasn't putting quite some effort into his look, it just meant that he had his routine down to the basics and it worked out. There was no need for another shower so he just used a shitton of hairspray to get the curls in exactly the shape that he liked. His favorite shirt, halfway unbuttoned, of course. And then all it needed was a touch of cologne, on his neck and some of it rubbed at his crotch area, becase after all you never knew where the evening was going.

Around 9 p.m. he then walked across the hall to meet with Laurie and Steve who definitely did something to his hair because it just perfectly coiffed. Still, he wasn't paying either Laurie or Billy too close of attention.

"You look good.", Billy commented on Laurie's outfit, mainly because he wanted to say just something.

"Oh, thanks.", Laurie smiled widely. "I'm really in the mood for a party tonight."

In the meantime, Billy's look had drifted to Steve who was sitting on his bed and looking down on his phone. "Yeah.", Billy mumbled. "Let's go party."

Around twenty minutes later and after a short argument on whether they should take a cab or just walk, they were on their way.

"Those aren't shoes for walking.", Laurie complained.

Billy snorted. "I once saw you chase a guy in a pair like those so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Chase a guy?", Steve asked, obviously curious.

"Not much of a story there. He stole my purse.", Laurie huffed, sounding as if the memory alone was making her angry.

"Yeah, you always have the best taste in guys.", Billy laughed.

"Very funny coming from excibit A of that argument.", Laurie mumbled.

"Hey, I'm not disagreeing.", Billy was still laughing but he looked at Steve now. "You should have seen this guy. Laurie fullblown kicked his ass."

Steve grinned. "What did you do with him?"

"I took my damn purse back.", Laurie mumbled.

"Yeah, there weren't any cops involved that night. There was too much drinking involved and a few guys were doing coke, so…", Billy explained, shrugging and still laughing.

"Oh, I get it.", Steve nodded. "I've been to a few of those parties, too."

"Yeah?", Billy asked. "Can't remember seeing you at one."

"It was before Nancy.", Steve explained. "Mostly High School and the very beginning of college. After that it just was… you know? Date nights, watching movies and stuff like that."

"Sounds boring as hell."

"Well, maybe.", Steve agreed. "I liked it though."

Of course, he liked that.

"Don't worry, pretty boy.", Billy said. "I'll make sure you'll have the time of your life tonight. Forget all about whatshername."

"Oh yes!", Laurie agreed. "That sounds like fun."

"Alright, alright. First, let's see what we're getting ourself into.", Steve mumbled, already sunding a little distant.

It wasn't hard to find the place where the party was going on. It wasn't some other dorm but actually the appartement of a guy who appearantly just liked having drunk people do whatever all over his place. Hell, he was probably one of them. Billy didn't care too much about it. He knew people here and there and he found the kitchen pretty soon. At first, they got in there alltogether, him, Steve and Laurie, getting cups and filling them with some nasty smelling punch. Billy drank the first cup in one go, eager to lose a bit of that tension inside of him. He filled the cup once more when he noticed that not only Laurie but also Steve had gotten towards the music.

Maybe that was a good thing because he certainly shouldn't be standing next to Harrington on a night like this. He should find himself a beautiful set of brown eyes to forget him about. Only that the light in here was pretty dim and no face looked nearly as pretty as this boys' did. And Billy was really looking. At guys and girls. Talking to some. He had one or two girls on his arm, one really handsy, leaving wet kisses on his cheek. He kept his cup full at all times and didn't care too much. The later the evening was getting, the more Billy was looking for Steve now. He had found Laurie pretty soon, dancing with this guy one minute, another one the next and obviously living her best life. He even found Tommy and Carol making out in a corner.

The party got a little quieter after midnight. A few guests were walking off to get into a club. Others weren't feeling like dancing too much. Billy just found himself next to Laurie on a couch.

"Why you look so grumpy?", Laurie slurred, resting her legs over his lap. "Not having fun."

"I'm peachy, just… peachy.", Billy grumbled.

"Let's play a game."

"What game?"

"Truth or dare. We'll spin the bottle and play it like we used to in High School. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Spin the bottle?", Carol asked curiously. "I'm in."

"Great.", Laurie sounded pretty damn honest with this so she was definitely drunk.

Ten minutes later there were at least twenty guys sitting on the ground in a circle with an empty coke bottle in the middle. Billy's eyes had gotten a little wider when he finally discovered Steve, whose pinkish face-color definitely showed that he was probably tipsy as well. But he wasn't sitting down next to Billy, he stayed on the opposite side of the circle.

"So truth or dare. I start spinning and whoever the bottle is showing at, can pick either truth or dare. And then this person gets to spin. Alright?", Laurie explained, although by now everybody knew what they were in with this.

Just as Billy expected, this game wasn't any fun. Sure, there'd been a few awkward stories spilled by those picking truth and a few tasks being done. One guy had to order another one a pizza and one girl was admitting on a crush she had. Billy had to do fifty pushups in one go and surprised himself when he managed to do them in one go, since after all he still was pretty sore. He got a few wistles by some girls who looked at him with dreamy eyes but when Billy looked up to see if Steve had been watching him, he was checking his phone again.

Billy grumbled a little as he said down, complaining that this was a shitty dare as he span the bottle himself. He wasn't even paying much attention until the bottle was pointing at Steve.

"Truth or dare?", Billy asked, his voice careful because they were making eye to eye contact now.

"Truth.", Steve immediately blurted.

Billy hesitated. The guys in the group almost exclusively had picke dare. He didn't expect Steve to go for truth.

Well, Billy didn't have to think long about the question he was going to ask. "What's with your phone? You're checking up on that ex-girlfriend of yours? Nancy?"

"What?", Steve just blinked and he looked at Billy a little mortified.

There was a moment of silence.

"Come on, Harrington. Just answer the fucking question.", Tommy groaned.

"Uh…", Steve was looking to the side as if he was trying to find an escape route.

"Steve?", Laurie asked. She sounded a little confused by that strong reaction.

Billy immediately tensed up once he noticed that he did something wrong. Too drunk to care for the rules of that stupid game, he tried to save the situation. "I mean…", Billy mumbled. "That… wasn't the question.", he decided. "What I really wanna know is… Tell me what you put into that chocolate cake you baked, alright? Honestly, it's the only thing I really wanna know right now.", he mumbled.

Tommy snorted. "What the fuck, Hargrove?"

"You can't ask another question. That's against the rules!", Carol argued.

"No?", Billy looked at them angrily. "Because last time I checked, I can ask whatever the fuck I want and he has to answer. In no part any one of you has to say a fucking word, or am I wrong? Now come on, hit me up with a fucking recipe, Harrington.", Billy mumbled.

He only caught Steve's gaze for a second, a little embarrassed that he switched the question just because he noticed, Steve was uncomfortable with the first one. He also regretted, mentioning Steve's girlfriend. He deeply miscalculated how affected he still was by that.

"Actually, I have it in my room. I give it to you later. The secret is using real dark chocolate and buttermilk in the batter.", Steve said, voice short but a smile on his lips.

Billy licked his lips and nodded, while Steve picked up the bottle to spin it.

For the next twenty boring minutes of that game, Billy was already thinking of leaving. He just wanted to finish up his drink and once he would get up, he just wouldn't get back here. And he almost got to do just that when the bottle once again pointed at Steve and the one spinning it had been Carol.

"Now you won't have it that easy, Harrington.", Tommy warned him.

Steve looked at Billy for a second who tensed almost as much as the other boy did.

"Truth or dare, Steve?"

"Dare."

Billy felt a wave of relief. Dare was okay. Dare was easy.

"Okay.", Carol grinned. "I want you to… I dare you to kiss the next person the bottle points at. And no half-ass shit this time, alright?"

Fuck.

Steve looked highly irritated but before he could think of anything to say to this, Tommy was already spinning the bottle for him. And Billy was following every movement with his gaze.

When the bottle finally stopped, Billy wasn't sure how to breathe anymore. But Laurie, Laurie was grinning widely, shifting next to him. In fact, the bottle had stopped right between her and Billy.

"Don't worry.", Laurie smirked at Steve. "I won't bite you."

"Nice try.", Carol snorted. "That's obviously pointing at Billy."

A shiver was running down Billy's spine.

"What?!", Laurie complained. "I mean, it's pretty much in the…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Steve was already crawling forward, passing the bottle that was still pointing between Laurie and Billy and without asking or announcing, he just put his lips on Billy's. And Billy's mind just turned blank, unable to process anything but soft lips moving against his own. And that familiar scent waving over him. He was way too surprised to do anything else than just let his jaw drop open and soften under the gentle touch. Steve's lips were warm and soft and fucking perfect and oh, was that pretty boy's tongue? Billy wanted to reach forward, kiss back, draw Steve closer by the neck, just as he heard an excited "Ooh!", coming from Carol, followed by the sound of her clapping her hands.

That was obviously all it took for Steve to stop what he was doing. Shamelessly blushing, he was sitting back at his place, pretty much opposite of Billy.

"Close your fucking mouth, asshole.", Laurie mumbled, only audible for Billy.

Steve was locking his eyes with Billy for a moment longer until a hand waving in front of Billy's face and a sharp: "Earth to Hargrove!", was bringing his attention back to Laurie.

"Yeah, yeah.", Billy grumbled, fighting a blush and trying not to look at Steve yet again. At least not, while he still felt this boy's lips ghosting over his own. "Truth.", he said. Steve was meant to give him his task, so it felt a little weird, not to be exactly looking at him. Also, Billy never picked truth…

"You ever kissed a guy before?", Steve asked immediately. He was sounding curious but also not like he had been thinking about that question for long.

Tommy snorted and Billy wasn't sure if it was for the amount of guys Billy kissed or because he thought the question was weird after what they just did. It didn't matter anyway.

"A few.", Billy said. It felt kind of good to expose that part of him to Steve, at least if he hadn't figured that out himself by now.

Billy was spinning the bottle again, giving one person a meaningless task only to excuse himself and head the fuck out before anything else could happen. He ran his fingers through his hair and then touched his own mouth only to sigh because they couldn't mimic whatever Steve had done before.

He was alreay out the building when he heard the sound of fancy pumps behind him. Turning around he saw Laurie. Billy stopped and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, to light one up.

"I can't believe you got to first base before me, asshole!", Laurie bitched.

Billy immediately made a step backward and raised his hands defensively. "Hey, hey, I'm practically innocent.", he pointed out. But he noticed that this wasn't sounding too convincing.

"Oh, sure you are.", Laurie said sarcastically. "Shoving your tongue in his mouth…"

"Come on, I didn't do that! I was surprised, that's why my mouth was open."

"Fuck you, Hargrove!", Laurie said annoyed. She looked to the side and slowly her anger switched for confusion. "How was it? He any good?"

"It barely lasted a few seconds.", Billy reminded her.

"Oh, come on.", she rolled her eyes.

Billy sighed. "Fuck, yeah, he's good, okay? A fucking great kisser. You happy now?"

Laurie growled. "Not really…"

"You mad at me?", Billy asked cautiously.

Laurie thought about this for a moment. "No.", she finally said. "I mean… It just felt like at that moment, he would have done pretty much anything to… just so he wouldn't have to kiss me, you know? The second he got the chance, he rushed over to you. He wasn't even looking at me.", she sounded almost devastated.

"Maybe he just thought it was pointing at me.", Billy said.

"You know very well that this stupid bottle was pointing right in the middle between us.", Laurie said, not buying whatever Billy was saying."

Billy shrugged. "Or maybe he was just listening to Carol."

"Now that bitch just has it out for me…", Laurie snarled.

Billy chuckled. Laurie wasn't wrong with that. Carol wasn't the most jealous person, obviously, but the way Laurie was receiving attention not only from both Tommy and Billy but also basically the entire male population, probably just made her unwanted competition. Carol probably just wanted to avoid for Laurie to add another conquest to her already long list.

"She definitely has."; Billy agreed. "If it helps, I highly doubt that Steve kissed me just so he wouldn't have to kiss you. He was probably just nervous. And in his defense, I look very fucking kissable tonight."

Laurie snorted. "You wish." Then she reached over to steal the almost finished cigarette out of his mouth and take the last drags of it herself.

"Hey, at least I scored more than you did.", Billy winked at her.

"You offering a challenge, Hargrove?"

Billy chuckled. "Maybe for another night. I'm heading home.", Billy said. He noticed that Laurie looked at him with some suspicion. She wasn't wrong. n another night, a few weeks ago, Billy would be all over this party, openly flirting with both girls and guys and earning himself heated make-out sessions. But now he still tasted Harrington on his lips, mixed up only with this stupid cheap punch he had drunk. By no means could he justify losing the taste just yet. Especially since he probably wouldn't get another one any time soon.

Just as he wanted to leave, Billy felt a buzz in his pocket that made him look down and take his phone out of the tight pocket. He frowned as he saw that he received a text message.

**Are you awake? I was just thinking about you. -Ian**

So that was that guy's name. Good thing he added it because calling him Bryan could have turned this pretty awkward.

"Got a message?", Laurie asked. She threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stamped on it. "From who?"

"A guy."

"A guy?", Laurie asked with a raised brow. "Can you be any more specific?"

"Maybe another time. Goodnight, Laurie."

Billy just shoved his phone back into his pocket and ran of, leaving Laurie just standing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to hear your thoughts!  
> Thanks to everyone leaving a comment/kudos so far, it means a lot to me! <3
> 
> You can also come talk to me on Tumblr @confettibites


	5. On edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy finds Steve in a weird mood and thinks of a way to distract him from that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Warning: If you are triggered by the topic of suicide, I want to give a little warning. There is no suicide happening and not even a real mention of one but there is one boy being pretty stupid by walking and sitting too close to the edge of a roof while being a bit emotionally disturbed, and all of that + the dialogue might trigger some people.

**Are you awake? I was just thinking about you. -Ian**

Billy wasn't that drunk. Okay, maybe he was decently drunk but that wasn't a problem, right? Only that he was so drunk, he was actually feeling kind of flattered by that message he just received from Ian. And now, slightly sobering up in the fresh air of the night on his way home, Billy decided to not just ignore it, as he had originally planned, but to answer it. His drunk brain had a slightly hard time, picturing the right face to the words, to think of dark hair and the curls and those grey eyes, oh so grey and not even the slightest bit big and brown and warm and kissable and…

Billy shook his head, trying to get his mind clear. The cold wind wasn't doing the sobering up part just fast enough. And he really really shouldn't be thinking about Steve now. Not while Laurie was upset. Not while he felt a little fragile himself, as if the kiss he and pretty boy just shared had cracked his edges a bit, left him raw and vulnerable. Even drunk Billy knew that it was going to take him some effort to replace that and that it was wishful thinking to expect that it would be as good as new afterward. He would still have kissed Steve then, there was no reversing that. And with having tasted once, keeping a distance was only going to become harder.

It took him maybe half an hour but then Billy was falling into his own bed, still fully dressed. Since Tommy and Carol had still played the game when he'd left, he would have the room for himself at least a little longer. Maybe they even slept over at her place and he could have a good night's rest here, not that he was actually expecting that.

When Billy turned to his side, his phone was pressing uncomfortably against his upper thigh, so he took it out, immediately remembering Ian's message, he had almost completely forgotten as soon as he was thinking about Steve again. Damn, he should reply, after he'd read it.

**Just came back from a party. –Billy**

Okay, the name thing was probably stupid. Since Ian had his number, he very well knew where it was from. But Billy was too drunk and too fucking tired to care, he just wanted to put the phone to the side and get some sleep when it was buzzing again.

**You're home early then. Plans for tomorrow or did the party just suck?**

Billy frowned. It was actually quite early, at least for his own standards. Ian probably just knew because they'd made out in the early morning hours, at least decently buzzed if not completely shitfaced.

**Just not in the mood for partying anymore.**

Billy turned the phone off and put it to the side. He was too tired and he would just get grumpy soon. He could deal with Ian tomorrow.

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Surprisingly, Billy woke up the next morning without a headache. But then, he hadn't been that drunk. Not nearly drunk enough to not remember how soft Steve's lips had felt on his and how much it felt as if something was just set in place inside him, even though they were surrounded by a bunch of drunk idiots.

Billy was already in the shower when he remembered the conversation with Ian on the phone. He cringed a little because even though he wasn't really suspecting to get something out of this, he at least preferred not to be rude about it. With only a towel slung around his hips, he was back in the bedroom, turning his phone back on.

**Then I'll think of something else for our date ;)**

Billy rolled his eyes at the screen. Well, at least he wasn't having a bunch of unread messages asking him why he wasn't answering. On the other hand, this would have been an easy opportunity to drop out of the conversation. Now, he might not care too much about that boy, but he still agreed on meeting with Ian and he wasn't going to break his word.

**Sorry, I fell asleep. Pretty drunk. Just wasn't in the mood yesterday. If you wanna go to a party tonight, I'm down.**

This should be nice enough to last for a while. Billy got dressed in clean jeans and a fresh shirt and luckily he barely felt as if he'd been partying at all, last night. Maybe that was the big advantage of going home early.

The next morning after a party always proceeded in the same turn of events, at least until Steve moved in and caused some disturbances. Whether Laurie and Billy had slept in the same bed or in different ones, Billy was usually the one that got up earlier. And when they haven't been in a fight or anything, Billy was then getting coffee for the two of them or they were getting out together.

It was a friendly turn. In return, Laurie often got groceries or takeout for him or got him into parties he hadn't been invited to. So they were both benefiting from this silent agreement.

But when Billy was getting coffee that morning, he wasn't only getting two but another one for Steve as well. As he was still waiting in line, Billy was blindly guessing how Steve might like his coffee. Honestly, Billy had no idea. Guessing from the baking, that boy definitely had a sweet tooth. So he might take his coffee with a lot of cream and sugar. Maybe he preferred hot chocolate. But then Billy was also pretty sure that Steve was coming out of a fairly wealthy family and with good coffee, he might be used to drinking it black.

It was Billy's turn to order, he still had no idea what to get so he ordered a black coffee and grabbed a bunch of packs of sugar and cream. With that, he would hopefully be able to make up for the potentially wrong order later.

With that and while lighting his first cigarette of the day, Billy made his way back to the dorm.

He knocked against Laurie's and Steve's door before he walked in, earning himself only a groan before Laurie turned on the light on her nightstand and blinked at him out of smudgy black eyes.

"Oh god, I love you right now!", Laurie exclaimed. "Fuck, my head hurts.", she added, reaching for her head with a painful expression.

"It's probably the punch.", Billy smirked, giving her her usual order. "You want one, too?", Billy turned to Steve who was looking a little fucked up, as well.

Steve was laying in his bed, blanket pulled up right to his nose and hair hanging a little weekly down on his forehead. Not his best look but Billy thought that he was just looking cute like that. If Laurie weren't there, hell, Billy would have been tempted to sneak under his blanket himself, get all cozy, steal himself another kiss.

Steve was sitting up now, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, before he looked at Billy. "What did you get me?", he asked.

"Black?", Billy was even more unsure now, that Steve wasn't taking his coffee as a painfully sweet abomination.

But Steve put on a content smile and reached out with his hand for Billy to put the cup in. "Thank you.", Steve mumbled, eagerly breathing in the hot steam.

Billy smiled and pulled a chair out, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"How long have you been out after I went home?", he asked, mainly talking to Laurie because he wasn't quite trusting himself with looking at Steve.

"I don't know. When did we get home, Steve?", Laurie looked over.

"Maybe an hour later?", Steve guessed. "Not that long after you left."

"You just went home or did you go meet mystery boy?", Laurie asked curiously.

"Huh?", Billy looked at her all confused.

"The guy that's been texting you? Jesus, do you even remember last night?!", she rolled her eyes.

"Oh.", Billy said, swallowing and avoiding Steve's gaze. "I went straight home after that.", he said. Fuck. Why did he feel so uncomfortable with that question?

"Are you finally sharing some details or do I have to get more annoying first?", Laurie asked.

"There are no details.", Billy shook his head. "I'll probably know more tomorrow. Then I'll tell you."

"Oh, you better.", Laurie said, taking another sip.

They weren't talking much longer until Billy left them there, also to avoid further questioning from Laurie.

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The afternoon, Billy had been on Campus. Maybe he'd found himself a quiet corner in the library because he wanted to avoid another encounter like the one with Ian. He wanted time to study and with his mind being easily distracted these days, by sitting right next to the wall and cornered by a big bookshelf, he finally was able to focus. 

This wasn't the time for many exams to be written. So the library wasn't even half as full as it was on Saturdays another time of year. The people here were here by choice which made it a lot quieter than it was on weekdays.

Billy wasn't doing anything special. He studied for different classes, prepared a presentation that was due in two weeks. The only breaks he took were to go to the bathroom or to get a coffee or a bite to eat. He only decided to leave for his dorm when he saw that the sun that had been shining in through the big, opaque windows above the rows of books, began setting.

He took the books back that he used for studying, stuffed his papers into his backpack and grabbed the empty cup to take it to the trash. By now there were only one or two dozen people left in the library and the hallway was pretty empty when Billy headed towards the exit. That's why he was surprised when he saw a familiar head of hair standing in front of a billboard.

Billy thought about running off but Steve just looked so inviting over there, almost like prey, he really couldn't let this opportunity go. Not with this being basically the first time the met each other on campus.

Steve was seemingly studying a notice that was hanging on the billboard. Billy stepped closer slowly and carefully, trying to figure out what was going on.

By the way Billy was standing, Steve couldn't notice him yet but Billy could very well see the big frown on Steves' face. As soon as the other boy released a deep sigh, Billy stepped up further and put a hand on Steve's shoulder, causing the other boy to jerk to the side.

"What's wrong, pretty boy?", Billy asked with a smile, slightly tilting his head. "Bad grade?"

It took him a moment to realize that Steve wasn't only frowning but that he looked deeply upset. For a second Billy worried if that was about what happened last night or even this morning with Laurie in their bedroom. But he shook that thought off.

"Fuck, I'm sorry, man. You wanna…", Billy floundered, taking his hand back.

Steve bit his bottom lip and he looked almost apologetic. "It's fine, really… It's stupid is what it is. Fucking bullshit.", Steve furiously shook his head.

Billy swallowed. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really.", Steve just looked at him.

"Yeah, I get it.", Billy nodded. But then he got an idea. "Let me show you something."

"What?", Steve asked. He sounded confused but not like he wanted to get away.

"Really hard to explain.", Billy licked his lip. "Let's get back to the dorm and I'll show you. Come on! That'll get your mind of whatever this thing is, that's bothering you. So are you game or what?"

Steve looked like he needed to think about this for a second but then he smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good actually. Could use something to get my mind off things…"

"Oh, that I promise you.", Billy winked at him and then he made a step towards the exit. "Come on, now!"

Steve followed.

On the way back, Steve was mostly engaging Billy in small talk. He was even more chatty than he usually was and Billy didn't really mind to discuss classes or taste in music or why switching rooms mid-semester was terrible.

"I guess waiting for a few more months just wasn't an option?"

"It really wasn't.", Steve stated. "I was glad, Laurie was looking for someone. I was sure that I would have to rent some place."

"In this city? Isn't that stupidly expensive?"

Steve shrugged. "Probably. My dad owns a company, it wouldn't have been a problem.", he explained. "But I prefer not to be on my own, actually."

"I get what you mean.", Billy said, thinking about how he disliked silence himself. It was probably something else when you were the only one that had the keys to a place. When there was really no chance for someone to storm in when you least expect it. "Although I would kick Tommy out the first chance I get."

Steve laughed. "You probably should."

"Good thing, he's sleeping over at Carol's a lot. That helps."

"Why didn't you move in with Laurie?", Steve then asked. "You guys seem to get along pretty well."

Billy shrugged. "She didn't ask. I didn't even think of that as an option. Switching rooms this time of year is just unusual and I was already so glad for her old roommate to leave, I didn't feel the need to get in there. And Laurie was pretty set on you as her roommate as soon as she got your mail. Something about the picture.", Billy grinned.

Steve blushed. "Since I hadn't known her, I thought that might be a good idea."

"Certainly got you that room, pretty boy.", Billy laughed.

They reached the dorms and Billy opened the door for Steve to get in first.

"So, where exactly do you want to show me this thing?", Steve asked secretively.

"Follow my lead. But let's grab some beer first, we'll need it and the thing really doesn't work without it."

Steve raised a brow for a moment but then he just shrugged and followed Billy into the kitchen.

"It looks like you just keep stealing those.", Steve pointed out.

"Steal and replace.", Billy corrected him. "Nothing illegal in that. I still have some in my room, but they aren't cold. You prefer your beer warm?"

"Yeah, that's a no.", Steve decided.

"Stolen beer it is.", Billy said triumphantly, shoving a cold bottle into Steve's hands. "That'll work."

Steve smirked as Billy grabbed one for himself.

Then Billy led the way, through the hallway past their rooms and onto the staircase. When he looked at Steve, the other boy frowned again.

"You look like I'm about to kill you?", Billy teased.

"Well, will you?"

"Shh, pretty boy. Don't want to draw any attention to us, do you? What we're about to do will be a lot easier without any witnesses."

Steve rolled his eyes but he also smirked as Billy lead them further upstairs.

They reached the top floor soon enough and Steve looked as if he wanted to walk through the door and towards the hallway with the rooms when Billy opened up a seemingly locked, gridded door that definitely wasn't meant to be opened by anyone but a maintenance guy.

"Uh, Billy?", Steve asked, sounding nervous.

"You see anyone coming?", Billy asked.

"No?"

"Hurry up then." Billy grinned, as he reached out for Steve's arm to pull him up the top part of the staircase where they finally reached another door. Billy fumbled in the dark, finding the spot where the spare key was terribly hidden and unlocked the door. Then he opened it and the fresh evening air with the sky already almost dark reached their noses. Steve was the first one to step on the roof.

"Fuck. Is that…?", he asked with his eyes even bigger than they usually were.

"Yup.", Billy was grinning widely. "I present to you the best fucking view in this part of town, pretty boy." Billy was spreading his arms wide as if showing off before he found a rock and put it so the door wouldn't close. He'd been trapped here not only once but actually four times and each time it had taken Tommy or Laurie even longer than before to find him and free him. Cellphone service was a bitch up here. And even though usually Billy wouldn't have anything against spending more time with Steve, he didn't feel the need to enforce it by risking them to be trapped.

Breathtaking, huh?"

Steve nodded and smiled at him before he returned his gaze to the incredible view. "You come here often?" He was walking closer to the edge of the roof which got Billy a bit nervous, so he followed along.

"Sometimes.", Billy admitted. "It's a great place if you just need somewhere to clear your head. Or to bring dates.", he added because he was just reminded of the time he brought that redheaded girl here. That had been fun. Billy smirked.

"I bet it is."

By now Steve is really getting close to the edge and he kept walking along it, looking down. This roof wasn't really meant for people actually coming here, at least if they weren't doing the obligatory cleaning. There was no security fence to keep someone from falling all the way down and with the wind and the darkness, Billy couldn't help but imagine Steve slipping and falling. Splash.

"Better be careful, Harrington.", he warned. "That would be a bit dramatic. To end it this way, huh?", he tried to sound funny.

"Dramatic. Hm.", Steve mumbled, now standing right there on the edge with the same kind of expression on his face that had been worrying Billy when he found him on campus.

"Talk to me, Steve.", Billy just calmly said. "What happened?"

Steve turned around with a fragile smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What do you care?", he asked.

"If you jump off there, I most certainly lose my favorite hangout spot.", Billy said, trying to sound jokingly, casual.

Steve bit his lip. "Yeah, can't let that happen, can I?", he smirked. "Don't worry. I'm good. No jumping tonight."

"That's good.", Billy felt relief. He wanted to ask Steve to talk to him again but just felt that he should better stay quiet for a moment. At least Steve had taken a step back now which was definitely helping.

"Fucking bullshit…", Steve mumbled. "It's just…"

Billy looked at him.

"Nance. Nancy. Shouldn't call her by a nickname anymore, should I?", Steve asked, turning around to Billy now.

So this was her fault. Billy would love to have a face to that heartbreaking name.

"Ever tried calling her bitch?", Billy suggested. "As in the stupid bitch that broke your heart."

Steve grinned. "Doesn't have that good of a flow."

"I don't know. Works pretty good if you ask me."

"I'm not even sure if she's the bad one in this story.", Steve admitted. "If anyone really is."

"Yeah? Why that? You cheated on her or something?", Billy guessed.

"No!", Steve said, a little scandalized. "No, I would never do something like that." He shook his head firmly.

"But she dumped you. I'm still convinced she's a bitch, Harrington.", Billy said.

"Maybe I was just a shitty boyfriend, you know?"

"I highly doubt that.", Billy said.

Billy almost jerked forward when Steve suddenly sat down on the ground, still so damn close to the edge of the roof, his feet dangling down. With stressfully widened eyes, Billy watched him, as he opened up his beer. But then Billy shook off the nervousness and followed into the same position. Beer definitely helped to take off the edge a little.

"How would you even know?", Steve smiled, gaze directed down where they could see the headlights of the cars driving by on the street and also the streetlight.

Billy wasn't easily scared but looking down for to long made him a little nauseous. He wasn't regretting coming here though. Usually, he just sat down somewhere, leaning against a wall maybe, and had a smoke.

"Since I'm technically the world's shittiest boyfriend, I'm probably the only one to really judge you.", Billy stated.

"I'm pretty sure, you're nobody's boyfriend.", Steve looked at him with a raised brow.

"It was more generally speaking.", Billy smirked.

Steve chuckled. "Oh. Sure."

Billy leaned forward just a bit to look over the edge another time. "I get, you don't have a problem with heights, then?"

"There are scarier things out there.", Steve just said.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Instead of answering, Steve just gave him a broad smile and Billy didn't ask another time, his question long forgotten.

Steve sunk back, so he was laying flat on the roof, feet still dangling over the edge. He looked up in the dark night sky.

Billy watched him laying there for a moment before he did the same thing, putting his beer to the side first, shoulder brushing against Steve's as his back hit the cold ground.

"I really think, I fucked this up, you know?", Steve mumbled.

By the sound of his voice, Billy guessed that he wasn't really expecting an answer. "Hm." It's been a long time since Billy had looked at the stars.

"It is what it is.", Steve sighed again. "Should have brought a blanket or something."

"You cold?", Billy turned his head to the side to look at him, a bit surprised by how close they were. Steve was only wearing a sweater which wasn't significantly more than Billy wore. And in the chilly air, a blanket sure would have been nice, even if it would probably look a little awkward.

"It's fine.", Steve decided. "I'm used to the cold, I guess."

"I'm not.", Billy stated. "Don't know if Laurie told you, but I'm from California. Here, every day just feels fucking cold."

"You don't dress like you're cold."

Billy grinned. "True.", he said. Billy definitely liked the idea of Steve noticing the bit of skin Billy was shoving just like he did vice-versa. Maybe he appreciated it as well.

It was surprising how he was so damn close to Steve right now, yet his fingers weren't even twitching. Now that this pretty boy was alone, finally reachable, Billy was somehow totally okay with just what they had. Maybe he even preferred this. Lying next to each other, staring at the same sky. Talking about feelings and being cold. Damn, that was some sappy shit.

"What do you usually do up here?", Steve asked mindlessly.

"Don't know.", Billy shrugged. "I show off with the view. Smoke a cigarette. Or something else. Make out.", he smirked.

Steve licked his lips, a shy smile on them. "I bet, I'm not the best company. I should go down and find you someone else for you."

"Don't sell yourself short, Harrington.", Billy teased. "I already know you're a good kisser. And I brought you here because I felt that you needed this place. I'm not going to kick you out."

Steve was still laughing about that comment with the kissing. "So you remember that night, huh?"

"Definitely.", Billy nodded.

"I still owe you a thank you.", Steve mumbled.

Billy grinned. "You could just tell me that I'm a good kisser and we're square.", he teased.

"No. I mean… you are, but thanks for going easy on me with the questions. You didn't have to do that.", Steve clarified.

Billy couldn't help the grin on his face growing a little wider. "Hey, it was my fault for asking you stupid shit you didn't want to talk about."

"Well, it's kind of the point of that game, isn't it?"

"Don't know about that. I was definitely more interested in finding out about your cake recipe anyway."

Steve snorted. "By the way, still need to give that to you. And it's not even my best one."

"Oh, I don't even doubt that. You've got some mad baking skills, pretty boy.", Billy praised.

Steve paused for a moment, his chest rising and sinking with each breath. "Laurie is weird since that night."

"Don't worry about it. She's just a little upset you wouldn't make out with her." Billy felt a bit bad for snitching on Laurie but then, Steve wasn't one for holding a grudge against her because of things like that. If anything he would probably just use that information to solve things with her.

"I didn't make out with anyone.", Steve stated a little tensely.

"She thinks you didn't want to kiss her. That you only kissed me because of that."

"She isn't wrong.", Steve said slowly. "I mean, you and her, you…" He stopped as if he didn't quite know what he should say or what he was thinking even.

"We're not dating or anything. I couldn't care less about who she's making out with or sho she's boning.", Billy shrugged.

"Why?"

"I dunno. It was always just that. I don't love her. We're friends. We don't pretend it's more than just having fun together and it has been working that way. Honestly, I'm kind of over the one night stands at the moment.", Billy explained.

"I don't know if I should be impressed. Not sure I could do that."

"Nah. It's far more complicated to make a relationship work. That's what's impressive if you ask me."

Steve smiled.

"She's still not your type, is she?", Billy asked. He regretted asking the second it slipped his lips. That's certainly not what his agreement with Laurie was about.

"You want me to start dating her or something?", Steve sounded rather curious than biased.

Billy didn't even have to think about that. "No.", he just said.

Steve didn't ask for further reasons. And Billy didn't give him an explanation. In some way they were just silently agreeing on this, looking up into the sky, feeling the coolish air brushing over their bodies.

A buzzing noise cut through the silence. Billy jerked a little bit, but when he realized where it came from, he released a groan. Of fucking course, this was the moment he was actually having service up here. Even though he knew it better, he pulled out his phone to see who messaged him.

**How about we get brunch tomorrow?**

Billy suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Brunch? Usually, Billy wasn't doing these kinds of days. He preferred the kind where they got drunk together until they either started fighting or screwing. Not much room for that during brunch.

Billy typed out a quick **Sounds good** as an answer. As soon as he was over with this he could tell Ian that it didn't work for him so he could look forward to that. He then noticed that Steve was looking at him, a curious expression on his face although he wasn't asking anything. Billy decided to answer anyway.

"Just a text message.", he mumbled.

"From who?"

"A guy."

"Okay."

Billy hated how casual Steve sounded although that was probably a good thing. "I don't know. Asked me out a couple of days ago so I gave him my number. Not sure where this is going, though."

"How's he like?", Steve asked. He nudged a little against Billy's shoulder.

"Good looking, I guess. Pretty good kisser.", Billy mumbled. "To be totally honest, I can't really say, why I'm not that into him. Maybe I should just give that guy a chance and not be weird about it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it's just not meant to be."

"If I would only go for shit that's meant to be, I would never get laid, pretty boy.", Billy snorted amusedly.

"Thought that's what your agreement with Laurie is for.", Steve mocked.

Billy paused for a moment and then he sighed. "Actually, it's not that easy."

"What did he say?"

"Wants to go get brunch.", Billy said, trying not to sound annoyed just by the idea of that. "Not really in the mood. Maybe I'll be tomorrow."

"Not in the mood for a good-looking guy who's also a good kisser?", Steve asked a little skeptical. "Wow, you're probably in a worse mood than I am…"

"What are you talking about?", Billy turned his head.

"I don't know. But it feels like you got something on your mind, too. A reason to be up here. Don't tell me, I'm wrong."

"I guess, you aren't.", Billy swallowed. "I don't know. Maybe this place just turns you a little weird and that's the reason. With the danger of falling, that just takes things into perspective, doesn't it?"

"It's probably that fucking edge.", Steve kicked his legs. "Freaks me out a little, too."

"But, like…", Billy smirked. "In a good way, right?"

Steve chuckled. "Yeah. I just keep imagining falling down there and at first, that was kind of paralyzing. Not it just makes me feel ten times more real."

Billy didn't comment on that. Mainly because he felt exactly the same, even if he hadn't put it into words before. But part of the reason he liked being up here so much was definitely that it made him feel more alive. That's what kept drawing him to that place.

"Thanks for taking me up here.", Stev said after a while. He sat back up now. "Bad fucking day. But that was actually nice."

"Anytime.", Billy said, actually meaning it. "Probably needed this, too, as you said."

Steve looked at him and then he nodded, his big brown eyes wide open and too fucking honest for his own good. Billy sighed. He still couldn't decide whether taking Steve here was a good idea or more like playing with fire. Look but don't touch. How was he supposed to keep his promise when that boy was sitting here like that, even his gaze looking all inviting, his features so fucking soft in the dim light? But he also didn't want to risk whatever friendship was blooming between them, so he better kept quiet and his hands to himself.

"Can I ask you a personal question?", Steve shifted a little in his position.

"Shoot.", Billy said. He sat up now, too, taking another sip from his beer and telling himself that this way he would just stay close for that conversation and that it definitely had nothing to do with wanting to be closer to Steve in general.

"How many is a few?"

"What?" Billy looked at him a little puzzled.

Steve looked down, an awkward smile on his lips. In this lack of lighting, Billy couldn't possibly tell if he was blushing. "A few as in guys that you kissed.", Steve clarified.

"Oh.", Billy said lowly. He swallowed, unsure where to put this question. Maybe simple curiosity. After all, that had probably been Steve's first time kissing a boy. Billy didn't dare to think that the question might be related to the fact that Steve could have enjoyed the kiss. He couldn't.

"You want a number, pretty boy?"

Steve looked at him now. "I kissed eleven girls, including Stacy in Kindergarten, who I promised to marry, by the way.", Steve admitted with a lopsided smile.

Billy chuckled. "I guess, I've kissed pretty much the same amount in guys. Including you. More girls though.", he said. It was true. He couldn't come up with the real number, also because he was at least tipsy for more than half of those kisses. Also, he didn't really want to remember kissing that pretty blond boy in middle school after practice. Or that asshole that broke his nose after they first made out and then called him a fucking fag… In the grand scheme of things, a lot of guy's he'd kissed weren't fucking worth to be on that list. Not that he regretted the latest addition, although he wasn't too sure that this really counted as kissing since it was only part of a stupid game. "You never kissed a guy before."

"Funny thing's that I did.", Steve's smile hadn't even faded now that Billy was starting to sport a big frown.

"Oh really?", he asked curiously.

"Uh-huh.", Steve nodded. "Not sure it counts since I was pretty dumbstruck by it…"

"What happened?"

"It was with a kid in High School. We hang out a lot during summer. One night we got so shitfaced, hanging out at my family's pool. My parents out of town as usual. He just kissed me.", Steve told him. He didn't sound put off in any way by that story. It rather sounded like a pretty fond memory to him. It also explained the interest in boy-kissing.

"Good kisser?", Billy asked with a grin. He wasn't upset that he hadn't been the first, even though he would have liked that achievement. He was just glad that Steve actually had a good experience with that for whatever it was worth.

"I'm not gonna lie, I was super drunk and it was all pretty fucking hasty. He also threw up in the end. Still one of the better kisses I've had.", Steve laughed.

"He threw up?", Billy cackled.

"Not on me, luckily. Just right next to me. Still kind of a mood killer.", Steve joked.

"Think you would have gone further?"

"Hard to tell. I mean, we were just so drunk."

Billy grinned. "Damn, that's a good story. Even if it's missing the happy ending."

"Oh, throwing up is kind of my number one deal breaker when it comes to happy endings.", Steve admitted jokingly.

"I'll keep that in mind.", Billy mumbled. "Sounds like a smart rule, by the way. Think I broke it a few times…" He was still laughing.


	6. Brunch and questionings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is going on his date, still not sure what this is really about. Laurie isn't helping. Neither is Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

Billy was close to smashing that goddamn alarm into the nearest wall before he remembered why he put it on in the first place. He had a date. A date that he should have kept in mind before staying up until the middle of the night to share embarrassing childhood stories with Steve Harrington on the rooftop. They hadn't even gotten really drunk which made the whole thing even more embarrassing actually. Because that meant they were basically talking about their first kisses and former girlfriends without a real reason except for that they felt like it.

Dammit, he hadn't even done that with Laurie and she was arguably his best friend… Well, while browsing his head for an excuse for this out-of-character sort of behavior, he decided that all of this inevitably had started with Steve being in a bad mood yesterday when he found him on Campus. And since Billy knew how shitty breakups and relationship troubles could be, which is honestly, why he tended to avoid such things, it's not totally unreasonable to be a friend to Steve and get him distracted by telling him about the first guy Billy had kissed or how long it had taken him to figure out he liked guys AND girls. Shit, he normally hated these kinds of talks. Talking about real stuff. Talking about himself in an honest manner. So why was all it took a pair of big, brown eyes looking sad and suddenly Billy was full of funny or angsty anecdotes? Fuck, he might even have mentioned Max although he was pretty sure that he at least hadn't mentioned his dad or worse, his mom. At least not yet. Billy snorted.

But he really shouldn't be thinking of Steve right now or that soft gaze he threw Billy when they parted in the hallway, each getting into their own room. There was that moment when Steve hesitated and looked at him in which Billy had to focus on each bit of mental strength he still had left, not to pin that pretty boy up against the wall and kiss him senseless. It's really no wonder after all that talk about kissing to end up a bit desperate, right? Because Billy was really freaking sure that Steve couldn't have looked that willing to kiss him as his mind was remembering it right now. All Billy would have done with that, was ending two perfectly fine friendships and that wouldn't be all too smart, to begin with. And if he really needed to blow off some steam, he was having a date with a perfectly fine kisser in about one and a half hours.

So Billy got out of bed and into the shower and started to get ready.

Sometime last night, Ian had asked him for his address and Billy had offered to pick him up instead. At least by that, he could obtain the illusion of being in control and he had an excuse for using his car that he didn't get too often with his studies keeping him occupied and his very rare family visits.

A little too early for his own liking, Billy was all prepped for the date, wearing too much cologne probably, but his hair was on point and he looked good, showing off just the right amount of his body with the unbuttoned shirt and the tight pair of jeans. He picked up his pair of sunglasses, too, because he was fucking tired and it was super sunny outside.

When he then got out of his bedroom and walked towards the stairs, only the calling of his name behind him made him stop.

"Hm?" He turned around just to see Laurie jogging the few steps towards him, luckily without Steve accompanying her.

"So, you got a nice date, Hargrove?", she teased with a wide grin poking his chest with her finger.

"Something like that.", Billy admitted, taking a step back to get out of her reach. "Steve told you?"

"Since you won't talk to me anymore, a girl certainly needs some sort of source.", Laurie said defensively. "Don't give him any shit for that, he was making a big fuss about telling me already, that stupid idiot." She shook her head, disbelieving.

Billy smirked. "He did?"

"Not the point." Laurie rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't even fucking tell me, where you were last night."

"Yeah, well, I might have made him promise to keep his mouth shut, adding a few threats to what would happen if he didn't.", Billy shrugged with a big smirk. Of course, it had all been fun and games last night, but Billy couldn't help but think better of Steve, knowing that he wouldn't even tell Laurie.

"You two are a bunch of shitheads.", Laurie stated. "As if I don't know where you fucking went. Would have mentioned the amount of time we've been on that roof before but Bambi was acting so secretively, I didn't want to unsettle his worldview just yet. You should have seen those big adoring eyes… that fucking dork.", she sighed.

Billy couldn't help but put on an even wider grin. Mostly because he had a good idea of how Steve might have looked. It was a good idea to bring him up there, if only for the view. Even if Steve would go up there without him from now on, Billy was just happy for that evening up there together, no matter how fucking sappy that sounded.

"Don't get any ideas, Hargrove." Laurie nudged his shoulder after she obviously noticed his dreamy expression. "That boy is as straight as they come."

Billy looked at her with a frown. "You sure about that?"

"What are you talking about?", she asked, a doubting look on her face.

"Hey, my lips are sealed.", Billy said, mostly because teasing Laurie without actually telling her was better than bringing up that Steve had once involuntarily kissed a guy. They both knew that pretty boy was into girls and Billy just wanted to annoy her a little.

"Yeah, whatever." She clenched her jaw. "But let me tell you, you highly overestimate your kissing abilities if you think you turned him gay just by playing spin the bottle.", she huffed.

Billy just kept his smug expression, mainly because he knew that this was ultimately more frustrating for her than any reply he could come up with.

"Now tell me about the guy you're seeing, will you? Do I know him? Is he cute?" The tension left her face as soon as the subject changed and Billy softened his stance as well, loosening up his defenses for a moment. Talking about Ian was less dangerous. The stakes were lower.

"It's that guy I've been making out on that party a few weeks ago. You must remember, you basically pulled me off of him and out of that closet to go home with you.", Billy remembered. Laurie had just dumped that guy she was going out with for a few times and generally in a bitchy mood that night because of her basket case of a roommate. Even if it wasn't the best moment to leave, he hadn't been thinking twice about it, after seeing the look on her face. After all, he didn't even know the guy's name then and it hadn't seemed that they would take this kissing any further that night which would have let to a very frustrating ending after all.

"Oh, yeah I remember. Curly hair, right? Thought that was a one-time kinda thing.", Laurie mumbled.

Well, since Billy had never talked about him in the meantime, that certainly was no wonder.

"Yeah, that's the one.", Billy nodded. "We have a few classes together and I've been avoiding him for a while. But then he asked me out and since I could probably use every opportunity I can get to get my head back in the game, I thought that this was at least worth the try. After all, he was a really good kisser." He shrugged.

"So, luring pretty boys up to that roof of yours doesn't leave you satisfied anymore?" Laurie smirked.

"Oh, shut up.", Billy licked his lips, biting down on a grin, too, mainly because he liked how that sounded.

"Well, for someone who's having a date you don't sound particularly eager.", Laurie said. "What's that about?"

Billy tilted his head and thought for a moment what the right thing to say was. By the way, Laurie was looking at him, she probably wasn't letting go anyway, so he better cut that off now. "Come on, leave it.", Billy said, already wanting to turn around when the door a few feet down the hallway opened and Steve appeared in all of his sleepy glory, wearing a ridiculous pair of pajama pants with a matching shirt. He looked at Laurie first, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, then at Billy who tensed, feeling far too vulnerable in his presence. He really preferred not to have Steve on his mind when he was having a date.

"Hey.", Steve said shyly. "On your way to go to brunch?" He smiled and looked adorable and Billy hated himself.

"You're having brunch?", Laurie snorted before she started laughing. "Should have told him you're a cheap date and a bottle of booze was probably enough to get him laid. No need to wine and dine you, Jesus Christ." She still chuckled.

Billy rolled his eyes. "Don't confuse me with yourself.", Billy said although he knew that she wasn't wrong. They both weren't exactly these kinds of persons you needed to take out before taking things further. And Billy felt weirded out by the idea of brunching already.

"So you're into brunching now?"

"Didn't say that.", Billy said sheepishly. "Fuck, can I just go on my date now or you want to talk me out of it altogether?", he grumbled. He was probably already late by now with all that questioning…

"Nah, I'm good.", Laurie grinned smugly. She knew the seed was planted and Billy would question this fucking date from now on. She knew it and he knew it and the only person still looking oh so innocent was Steve fucking Harrington, thereby being even worse than Laurie was because, hell, was he giving Billy ideas.

"You look good.", Steve said in that moment of silence. "Have fun on your date."

Billy swallowed for a few seconds unable to think or do anything. Honestly, why was Steve complimenting him? To make him feel good because Laurie was being a bitch? To show affection? Because he was tired and didn't know what he was doing? Billy kept his eyes locked with him a moment longer before he shook it off and replied. "Yeah, thanks, pretty boy.", he forced a smile. And with that, he turned around and ran off, biting out a harsh "See you later" before he could see the probably very dark glare, Laurie was throwing him for that weird encounter. Or more likely before he was able to convince himself that Steve wasn't as fucking straight altogether and that he wouldn't be complaining if Billy pinned him against the wall, to kiss his lips until they were all bruised up. Until Steve was panting and desperately rutting against him…

Fuck, Billy tried to get that thought out of his head because he truly shouldn't be sporting a semi when he was meeting with Ian. That would just give his date the wrong idea. More even than going on a date was giving away wrong ideas in the first place. Why was he doing that again? Billy couldn't help but shake his head as he went outside. When did his life get so fucking complicated?

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It didn't take more than seeing his Camaro waiting for him right where he left it, to brighten Billy's mood and get his mind of bitchy best friends and pretty boys with bedhead. Carefully he was stroking over the hood, pulling a face as he noticed the dust he was getting on his fingers just with one stroke. He should really drive more often if only to get some groceries or visit a friend. Maybe he should just get away for a weekend, get his head off of school and boys and all that shit that kept bugging him. Just to put some music on, maybe sleep in the car for old time's sake. At least that sounded like a pretty decent idea right now. Or it could just be him not really wanting to go on that date.

Billy got into the car soon enough, he was starting the engine and grinning at the sound. He pulled out his sunglasses and put them on because honestly, what was really the point of driving around so early on a sunny day if not to wear some shades. Windows down, music on and soon enough, Billy was on the road, trying to find his way to Ian's place who wasn't living at some dorm but probably shared a flat with some friends. At least Billy was doubting that he could afford a place all for himself but then, there were obviously people with wealthy parents who actually gave a fuck about them, so it wasn't totally impossible that he was doing exactly that.

He was already trying to figure out what he would say when Ian got to the door when Billy noticed the figure standing by the side of the road. He checked the clock but he wasn't late so at least he could pull the car to the side guilt-free. Ian was wearing a cap, a basic shirt and jeans and Billy couldn't say that he didn't look good. Because he did, especially with that wide smile. Nonetheless, Billy's first reaction was to sigh, before he leaned over to open up the passenger seat door because even though he was feeling like an asshole he might as well behave nicely today.

"Good morning!" Ian got into the car and turned towards him, showing a bright smile on his face.

"Mornin'," Billy nodded at him, questioning whether he should maybe put off the sunglasses. He opted for trying to smile himself, hoping for it to come off as genuine. "Hope you weren't waiting that long…"

"Nah, I was on the phone until like a minute ago. My mom.", he said with some annoyance on his face of what Billy supposed that he expected people to get what he was talking about. Others probably did so Billy just went on and nodded, pretending. "You look good.", Ian added, bombarding Billy's defenses even more. Billy hoped that he at least wasn't blushing right now even if the burning feeling on his cheeks indicated the opposite. Good thing his glasses were pretty big, they might be able to hide some of that.

Billy swallowed, highly questioning why a simple compliment was flooding his damn brain with pictures of Steve Harrington. Fine, that boy had complimented him in the same way but so had dozens of other people in his life so why was he obsessing over that pair of brown eyes? "Yeah, thanks. So do you, by the way.", he turned his face towards the road.

Ian's smile just grew a little wider and he turned his head as well. But then he moved his left hand to the gear stick between them, drawing Billy's attention not only because his fingers had brushed against the outside of Billy's thigh. He moved so delicately it almost looked as if he was carressing that car and Billy couldn't help but frown a little, looking up at Ian again. "That your car?", that boy asked curiously.

Billy cleared his throat and shifted slightly more towards the window, unsure of why exactly his body was reacting like that to a simple touch. God, when they had made out that night, they'd done way more than just touching thighs so what made that moment any different, apart from the obvious sunlight and lack of alcohol? "Sure is.", he said. "Always dreamt of having a car like that but I don't nearly get to drive it often enough."

"Honestly, that's probably the coolest car I've ever seen. Pretty much never see anything like that driving around these days, huh?" Ian moved his hand over the gear stick once more before carefully reaching out for the steering wheel, his shoulder thereby brushing against Billy's. "Feels so different, too. I bet it sounds fucking amazing when you drive it…"

"Yeah.", Billy smiled. Honest appreciation. He could very well get used to that, at least as long as it was directed to his car. He wasn't getting the opportunity to show off his car too often, so that felt nice even if the physical contact was throwing him off which was as a statement crazy in itself, to be honest. "I'll show you.", he brought his hand to the keys and turned them to get the engine started.

"Nice.", Ian leaned back, still broadly smiling. "I get, why you're loving that car. You should definitely find an excuse for driving it more often."

"Well, thanks for providing a good reason today.", Billy said because, after all that praise of his car, he needed to say something, right?

"Oh, it's a pleasure.", Ian grinned. "I'm glad you offered to drive. My car wouldn't have been half as great."

Billy smiled, licking his lips and looking at the traffic trying to figure out the right time to get back on the road because for whatever reason the streets were fairly crowded right now. What were people even doing that early on a Sunday? Billy was only hoping that the answer to that wasn't brunching.

"So, I made a reservation for half-past ten.", Ian said, checking his watch.

"Can you tell me, where to go?", Billy asked.

"Oh, easy, just follow the road, I'll tell you when to make a turn.", Ian offered.

"Alright then." Because he wasn't particularly enjoying the silence or the conversation for that matter, Billy turned the radio on. Not too loud, of course, but enough to give them an excuse not to keep up that Smalltalk and really, Ian was only giving him the direction, keeping his hands and his words to himself for the drive. And that was good. Billy tried not to overthink all of that.

The place Ian had picked would have been one for Billy to pick if he was to take out a chick somewhere. It was… cute. But on a Sunday morning, there were only couples and a lot of old people there so he felt vaguely out of place.

"I know, I know…", Ian said because he had obviously noticed the doubt on Billy's face while he'd looked over there. "But I swear, it's the best breakfast you can get in the whole town. You should have seen my face when my last boyfriend brought me here for the first time. But that was all forgotten once I tasted their pancakes.", Ian explained. "And it's actually nice and quiet and you don't stumble upon too many students. I actually prefer that sometimes."

"Hey, I'm not complaining, as long as I'm getting something to eat.", Billy said, jokingly. "Had a long night, yesterday."

"Yeah? What did you do?"

Yeah, what did he do? Spend his fucking night in the sappiest manner he could think of, talking his feelings with the most Bambi-looking pretty boy. But that was probably the wrong thing to say to his date right now.

"Drinking on the rooftop of my dorm with a couple of friends.", Billy half-lied.

"Sounds nice."

"It was. But it had gotten a little late and I feel like I haven't eaten anything in forever."

"Oh, we better take care of that then, huh?" Ian smirked.

"After setting that high of expectations, you definitely need to deliver now.", Billy said jokingly.

"Prepare to get your mind flashed." Ian sounded smug as he pulled the door open for Billy.

Billy walked in and hesitated before going anywhere because this space was pretty open and he had no idea where to sit. Ian didn't seem to have that problem and immediately let the way towards a guy in a sweater with glasses who was standing behind a counter.

Because Billy stayed behind he couldn't quite hear what Ian said, but the guy nodded and then showed them the way towards a small table in a quieter corner. He brought them the menu and then left them to be.

"Just because there is no general rule, I asked you out, I'll pay for the food.", Ian started after they both sat down.

"Really? I mean, I wouldn't be mad if we split."

"Just let me have this.", Ian opened up the menu. "I feel like I already owe you because I never expected you to agree on going on a date with me.", he chuckled. "Honestly, I was sure you were far out of my league."

For a moment, Billy just looked at him in utter disbelief. "Oh, fuck off…", he mumbled, blushing. "I'm just… Not the best with relationships, that's why I don't really do dates. Like… in general, not even only with guys."

"Well, I'm glad you made an excuse."

"Sure, why not?", Billy shrugged. Easy so far. Billy opened his own menu. "I mean, we sure had fun that night."

"Yeah? I'm glad you did, too. I almost thought you were avoiding me afterward."

Billy swallowed. "Had nothing to do with you as a person. It's more the general I don't do dates rule."

"Well, you weren't too persistent about that rule, were you?"

"Obviously not.", Billy snorted. "But that's why I… wasn't necessarily eager to talk to you. I mean, man, we were both totally shitfaced that night. Usually, that doesn't lead to anything except maybe a quick fuck if you're lucky."

Shit, was that too honest?

Ian chuckled. "It was still a pretty awesome night overall, even if we didn't get to that part.", Ian shrugged. "I mean, fuck, I can't remember the last time I had that much fun on a party!"

Billy licked his lips because, sure, he got what Ian was implying here, although it wasn't necessarily the best evening for Billy. It was a fun night, sure. Thanks to Ian. But he had a lot of fun nights thanks to a bunch of different people. "Yeah, it was a great night.", he said instead.

"Hey, do you know what you wanna get, yet?", Ian then asked after a moment of silence

Billy looked down at the menu, unsure because of the abundance of different things to chose from. Usually, he wasn't really a person for the sweet stuff or fancy stuff that it looked like the menu here mainly consisted of. But since Ian had been talking about the pancakes, why not go for that? "Oh, I think you sold me on the pancakes.", Billy said, trying for a smile.

"Very good choice indeed.", Ian nodded and then he waved the waiter over to take their order.

Ian ordered pancakes for both of them along with some juice and coffee.

"So, since you don't do dates, there is no one else you're seeing right now, right?", Ian then asked after it was just the two of them again.

"Nothing serious.", Billy said, thinking about Laurie, then Steve. There was certainly no need to tell this guy he barely knew that he was overly attracted to his best friends new roommate, who, spoiler alert, was also straight. Yeah, no, nothing serious. "The last girl I dated for longer than just a couple of times was a few weeks ago but it didn't really lead to anything.", he said because it felt like he should say something. "You?"

"Broke up with my boyfriend two months ago.", Ian said.

"The guy who brought you here?"

"Exactly. Since then, a few hookups but nothing serious either.", he explained and Billy nodded.

The waiter then brought their breakfast or brunch or whatever and Billy used that opportunity to shift his attention to the food, eating those arguably great pancakes and drinking his coffee while answering a few questions Ian was throwing him every now and then. He kept it shallow and Billy was pretty thankful for that.

After they finished their pancakes and the silence grew a little louder, Billy was itching for a smoke. He looked out through the window where the sun was hitting the ground as he took another sip of coffee, unsure of how much longer he needed to continue this before it was okay-ish to make his way home. It was probably not the best sign that he was already waiting for this date to end.

"Let me show you something.", Ian said, interrupting Billy's thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Come on." Ian was already getting up, so Billy put his emptied cup down, looking at the waiter a little worried before he followed Ian. He wasn't leading the way towards the exit though but towards like a glass patio door.

Ian pushed the door open and Billy followed him into a small garden that obviously belonged to this restaurant. There were even a few desks here, along with a few benches under a tree or in front of a small pond.

"Wow.", Billy said. It looked great out here, even better than when he guessed the view from inside. He couldn't help but pull out a cigarette and light it, now that he was standing outside and having a good excuse.

"Right?", Ian said proudly. "When it's warmer you can basically sit here all day work on a paper or whatever." He walked up towards the trees that were standing there and Billy followed, just amazed by how rural it looked in that backside garden.

"I usually just hide somewhere in the library until I'm done.", Billy said. "But this place sure has some appeal. It's fucking pretty."

When they got closer to the small pond, Billy noticed tiny orange fish swimming in it. They were walking in a loop around the garden like that, taking them back towards the patio.

Ian turned around to him and moved a little closer while Billy took another, last drag from his cigarette and then put it out in an ashtray, maybe also to avoid looking directly at Ian who was getting a little too close.

"So, could I prove to you that dating's not so bad?"

"That's a pretty high ambition.", Billy said, tilting his head. "I had fun, though. But I'm not too sure I prefer this over making out on a party, at least if it's on a day to day basis."

Ian didn't look like that hurt him or anything. "Yeah. Good that you mentioned it. I mean… So, I didn't want to be pushy but tonight's that party. You wanna go there?"

Billy was a bit caught by surprise. "Oh. Where?"

"Oh, it's a few blocks from my place.", Ian explained still awaiting an answer.

"I… Can I bring a few friends?", Billy mumbled.

"Sure."

"Okay… It's a date, I guess."

"Great.", Ian smiled and Billy couldn't help but think that he was actually pretty. Actually a decent guy. So why wasn't he feeling anything?

Even now that Ian was standing so close, he was basically in touching distance, bringing his hand up to stroke one of Billy's curls out of his face, he was lacking that tingling feeling he knew so fucking well, especially after a night spent so fucking close to Steve Harrington. So what did that even mean? Was it that Ian just wasn't appealing to him or did Billy just get all his wires crossed? Billy knew well enough how he was supposed to move, how he was supposed to lean a little into that touch and to meet Ian's lips when the other boy leaned in. And the kiss was good, fucking great but how great was something you could willingly give up a moment after?

"That was okay, right?", Ian asked, his face still pretty close. The kiss wasn't in any way heated. After all, they were both out in the open.

Billy nodded. "Yeah."

"I… I have an appointment in a while, so… how about we call this to an end and… continue this tonight." He stole himself another kiss bringing his tongue to Billy's lip until he opened up his mouth, but this kiss only lasted a couple of seconds.

Billy smirked. Although Ian wasn't necessarily the subject of his attraction, being desired always felt kind of nice. "Yeah, alright." He cupped Ian's face because he didn't want that to feel too one-sided and leaned in for one last kiss, finally feeling like he was regaining some control of this. Maybe kissing was easier than talking. Billy could stick to that, especially if the alternative would be to further discuss his dating life.

After that, they stood there for only a moment longer before going back inside, paying and leaving for Billy's car.

"I'll text you the place's address so we can meet there if that's okay.", Ian said when Billy parked the car in front of his place. "Let's say nine-thirty?"

"Yeah, let's meet there.", Billy agreed. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So am I." Ian loosened his seatbelt and turned around in the passenger seat. Billy almost expected another kiss, hell his body already tensed a little as he was bracing himself but Ian only smiled at him and put a hand on his thigh for a moment. Not high enough to be inappropriate or anything. But he squeezed a little and Billy felt… something… before Ian stood up and left.

Slightly worried, Billy was rubbing that spot on his thigh as if it had been marked or something and when he saw Ian, waving at him from the other side of the road, he decided that it was about time to get home.

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"Look who's back. How did the date go, Romeo?" Laurie showed up at the door with her arms crossed and a big, smug grin on her face.

Billy rolled his eyes as he turned around to her, the key still in his hand. "Eavesdropping for passersby, aren't we?", he teased. "So curious about my date? Worried, you might be getting competition?"

Laurie snorted. "First of all, if I have listened to anything then it was only the sound of keys. Way too many passersby to get alarmed when you're not even back yet…", she stated. "And yes, I'm fucking curious, since you barely talk to me anymore you fucking asshole." She said all of that with a hint of affection that was hidden in most of her insults, at least when they were headed in Billy's direction. "How about we grab a beer and you tell me what happened?"

"Sure we won't be annoying your roommate?", Billy said. He wasn't even sure why he asked about Steve. Maybe he just wanted to know if he was there.

"Bambi's out and about. Got a call and gone he was." She shrugged. "So, will you be able to bare his absence for a moment?" With a tilted head and a hoping gaze, she was looking at him.

Billy sighed. "Yeah, sure.", he said, slipping the keys back into his pockets and following her into her room.

"Details.", she said while leading him in. "I want every detail. The place you went, what he's been wearing…" She was counting on her fingers. "Oh!", she said, suddenly remembering something. "So… kissing or no kissing?"

Billy swallowed. "We kissed.", he said, dropping down on Steve's bed. He felt weird for a moment but with Laurie's old roommate still living here, that's where he used to sit, at least when that girl was gone. But the unique scent of Steve all around him changed this spot drastically and Billy felt different about the spot.

"Nice. Still a good kisser?"

"I guess.", Billy said. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees while Laurie sat down in her own bed, still giving him this expecting look. Because he was expecting yet another question, he decided to keep talking. "Actually he's been inviting me to that party tonight and I asked if I could bring you and Steve."

Laurie raised her brow. "What do you think you're doing?", she asked with a serious but also still curious expression.

"Hm?"

With that, Laurie stood up and overcame the distance between them, straddling his lap to bring her face really damn close to his. Billy swallowed, leaning back just a little.

"I thought you were just trying to get some dick but then why invite your fuckbuddy and a boy who's most definitely prettier than your date? That's not, how you get laid and we both know that.", Laurie smartly pointed out.

"Why are you going out with him?", she added because Billy wasn't answering her.

"I don't know.", he said. Now that was the truth, wasn't it?

"Really? Because it looks to me like you're sabotaging yourself, boy.", she tilted her head. All of the sudden, she had that suspicious look on her face as if she'd just figured something out. "This isn't about Steve, is it?"

Billy tried his best for his expression to stay calm and to not give away what he was thinking about but the change on Laurie's face certainly told him that this wasn't working too well. He felt her hands firmer on his shoulder and next thing he was pushed down into the mattress confronted with her annoyed stare, her head hovering above his. "I swear to god, I'm gonna punch you in the face, you dickhead…", she grumbled, pinning his wrists down, even if he wasn't fighting this. "What? You spend one evening stargazing and now you're head over heels, lusting for a straight boy?"

"No, I'm not.", Billy said defensively, although his voice was lacking punch. He also clenched his jaw because with it phrased like that, what he was doing sounded hella stupid. "Fuck, I don't know.", he rambled.

"Maybe you just need to find yourself someone hotter.", Laurie suggested.

"I doubt, that this is really what this is about. I mean, Ian's hot. Kissing him is great."

"You still don't wanna date him.", Laurie pointed out.

"Maybe, tonight I will. Maybe, I'll get shitfaced and we make out a bit and it gets easier.", Billy said, half to convince himself.

"Yeah, try that. But, I mean, you don't need to date anyone, if you don't enjoy it. If it's about getting laid, I mean, I'd offer to blow you from time to time but it doesn't feel like you're down for that." She rolled her hips as if to prove his very obvious lack of hardness. "Don't worry, I don't take it personally. I could help find you a guy who just wants to fuck casually. No relationship crap."

"Thanks, but I'm still able to take care of that myself.", Billy said, rolling his eyes.

Laurie looked like she was about to reply when the door was being opened and they both turned, Laurie, to look over her shoulder and Billy to look past her but they both saw Steve standing there, looking at them with wide eyes.

"Please, tell me you're not doing what it looks like… on my bed.", he said, his voice a little raspy.

"We're not. Don't worry.", Laurie said, thankfully getting off of Billy now. "Feel him up, if you want to. Not even hard." She shook her head, acting sad.

Steve rolled his eyes while Billy sat up. "I'm sorry.", he said in Steve's direction because he hadn't really thought about that they were still in Steve's bed when Laurie straddled him. He was too occupied with trying to find an argument to defend his date with Ian while there wasn't anything really.

"Where were you anyway?", Laurie asked, walking over to her vanity.

"Uh… just out to eat something.", Steve mumbled.

Laurie threw him a disbelieving gaze. "Well, Billy's invited us to join him for a party tonight. You in?"

"Where?", Steve asked.

"Downtown.", Billy said. "Not that far. We can probably walk or… share a cab or whatever."

"His date invited him and he doesn't want to go alone.", Laurie teased.

Steve's gaze softened a little and then he came over. Billy thought for a second that Steve was coming to him but then he remembered that he was still sitting on Steve's bed.

"You want me to get up?", he asked, shifting a little to the side when Steve dropped down next to him.

"No need.", Steve said. "Just… don't… when I'm not…"

"I promise, I won't let anyone, including myself, fuck on that bed of yours.", Laurie interrupted while chuckling. "Honestly, we weren't even close to doing that. I just wanted to prove a point to him and I'm way more intimidating when I'm on top.", Laurie said. She wasn't even looking at them because she did whatever to her face, looking into the mirror. Probably make-up.

Billy smirked. "She really is.", he agreed.

"Fine. I mean, I don't have any plans for tonight so, I can join.", Steve then said.

"Great.", Billy's smile grew a little wider. Amazing, he probably shouldn't get that excited about bringing another guy on his date…

"How was your date?", Steve then asked, ending that smile altogether.

"Oh, sensitive topic.", Laurie warned.

Billy snorted. "It was _fine_.", he said. "Too early to say anything else."

"Well, Stevie and I certainly will take a closer look at that boy, tonight.", Laurie said. "Judge for ourselves."


	7. New rules and stupid ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Billy had decided on bringing Laurie and Steve to that party with Ian, he now has to deal with the consequences of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

"Well, Stevie and I certainly will take a closer look at that boy, tonight.", Laurie said. "Judge for ourselves." 

She chuckled and returned her gaze to the mirror while Steve, although slightly smiling, was focusing on his own hands, fiddling on top of his crossed legs.

Billy wasn't too sure if he liked the idea of that, the idea of presenting Ian to them because Ian wasn't his boyfriend. But he kept up a straight face after all. And because Steve still looked a little tense, again, Billy wondered if he should just stand up, give the other boy a bit more space. Since he was pretty much occupying Steve's bed here, that might be the very least thing he should do.

Steve let his gaze wander through the room and approximately as it reached the table, his face lit up. "Oh, before I forget…", he mumbled before he got off the bed. Billy was almost startled by that sudden movement and so he just watched Steve walk towards the supposedly shared desk that was pretty much just full of his belongings anyway. Billy wasn't sure if Laurie even had any College stuff in here, although she got along pretty well. "I still owe you the recipe, right?" Steve put a few books and papers to the side until he discovered a tiny handwritten note. He picked it up with a very pleased smile.

Billy raised a brow, looking at the paper when Steve brought it to him. "So…", he studied the recipe, not really noticing any unusual ingredients, although who was he to know? "How much will it cost me, for you to bake it for me?" He smirked.

"Not much, probably.", Steve shrugged and sat down next to him again, still with a smile on his face. "Love that cake. Been thinking about making it again, already. But I usually just bake when I can't sleep, so…"

"So you need me to keep you awake for a night?", Billy tried, not immediately aware of how that sounded. That means, not before Laurie snorted on the other side of the room, very obviously rolling her eyes at them.

But Steve wasn't really noticing, or at least he pretended that he didn't since he was still smiling at Billy. "Kinda. Could teach you how to make the cake yourself, if you want to.", he tilted his head.

"Sure.", Billy agreed. He wasn't big on baking or cooking since he wasn't forced to provide dinner for his little sister when her mom was working late anymore. But he was almost sure, Steve could convince him of the joys of baking, if only by giving him quite the sight by doing so. Billy couldn't help but picture the brunette with an apron, cake batter in his hair, flour on his face, Billy just wanted to mess him up a little, maybe with the offer of licking him clean afterward. As if triggered by that train of thought, Billy mindlessly licked his bottom lip. Maybe it would be easier to convince himself that this wasn't actually what he wanted if he hadn't already kissed Steve and gotten the taste of him. Now every moment close like that took a lot of self-control for him to stay in his place.

The sound of something buzzing put a stop to that thought and Billy had already reached into his pocket before he noticed that it wasn't him but Steve, who was getting a call. 

Steve looked at the screen and frowned. "I… need to get this one. Be right back.", he said. Without any further explanation, he stood up and walked right out of the door, leaving the two of them behind.

Billy looked after him for a moment, until Laurie was clearing her throat to catch his attention and he noticed that she was, in fact, staring at him.

"What?", he asked, trying for annoyed but not quite nailing it. He was already expecting to have done something stupid and honestly, he just wanted her to specify it for him.

"Sure, you want to be doing that?", Laurie asked, with her head tilted. Her smile was pretty compassionate what was offsetting, to begin with. If she wasn't being bitchy or sarcastic about it, whatever he did must have been pretty darn stupid.

"Do what now?" Billy knew this was about Steve but he'd rather have her tell him before blindly guessing and turning this awkward.

"Don't tell me you weren't flirting with him.", she snorted but her expression turned into a smile soon enough.

Billy grumbled, fighting a mild blush. He shouldn't feel exposed in front of her but she made it sound as if she was only pointing out the obvious and he hated the idea of Steve noticing that he was acting weird around him.

"Don't worry. He doesn't get things like that. I mean, flirting's all I've been doing with him, basically since he got here and… nothing.", she shrugged. "Just don't want you to get overly excited because it's very likely Bambi's not taking the bait after all. He's just nice, which, I get, is super rare nowadays and really fucking compelling… But I doubt you'll be able to turn him gay, you know? Just don't want you to get hurt over it. Or him. He really likes you and with that bitch Nancy, I feel like he needs friends right now." Laurie frowned. "At least more than you need dick.", she added with a wink because of course, she couldn't end this with being nice.

"Yeah, I know.", Billy agreed because she was right, even if he didn't particularly like that. "I… It's hard, not to do just that, you know? I don't even realize that what I'm doing is flirting, half the times. It's like… like I fucking get lost in his eyes or something.", he grumbled, trying to get angry but failing every time he pictures Harrington's face.

"Trust me, Hargrove, I know!", she said empathetically. "Been giving myself the same talk everytime I look at his pretty, stupid face. But it's not worth the heartbreak."

Billy snorted and then he grinned at her. "I'm pretty sure, we both don't have one to break.", he stated and Laurie chuckled in agreement. "Damn, he's so pretty though.", he sighed.

"You should see him while he sleeps. If it wasn't creepy as hell, I would take a picture of that.", Laurie shook her head as if she couldn't quite believe her memory.

Billy groaned, still smiling. "Don't think, that would help, though.", he mumbled. As a matter of fact, Billy already had way too many memories of Steve being… being just really fucking pretty and there was no need to add anything to that. Especially since his overly active mind seemed to fill out the blanks already, with Billy picturing Steve in all kinds of situations he really really shouldn't with them being just friends.

There was a moment of silence neither Billy nor Laurie broke. Laurie returned to whatever it was she was doing to her face in front of that mirror while Billy was thinking about the right way to deal with that Steve situation. It didn't take him longer than a few minutes to come to the conclusion it might not be the best idea to think about it right here, sitting in Steve's bed, surrounded by his smell and all. "Hey, I'm gonna step outside for a minute, take a smoke, you wanna join?", he asked, although not expecting her to go with him.

"Nah, I'm good.", Laurie said. "See ya." She raised a hand, waving, without turning around to him.

Billy stood up, putting a hand on her back for a moment. He kissed her cheek and watched her smile before he walked off. He was thankful that she was telling him the truth like that, no sugarcoating whatsoever, even if it sometimes felt like she was hitting him over the head with it.

Billy had no idea where Steve had gone and for a moment, standing in the hallway, he thought of going to look for him. But once he reached the staircase, he decided to walk up though, to sit on the roof in silence for a bit because he could probably go with a break right now. He was still thinking about what Laurie had said. And as little as he liked that she obviously was able to look right through him, it helped that she got it. Especially while he wasn't really getting it, himself. And at least she wasn't angry with him. It's not like Billy hadn't tried to work this shit out. Tried to convince himself that Steve wasn't that pretty because Billy had seen a bunch of pretty boys and girls. But then, neither of them had managed for him to be thrown off his rhythm. Not like that, anyway. Maybe it would help, just to focus on being friends with Steve and to stop being flirty, as Laurie had said. But somehow, Billy was pretty sure that it wouldn't be that easy. And avoiding him was really no option, no only because Billy wanted for them to be friends.

Coming out to the roof was one of Billy's favorite things to do if he was alone. If he was a little stressed out, it was either putting on headphones and trying to mute his brain while listening to old guitar music and classic rock songs or it was sitting here, chain-smoking while listening to the sounds of cars and construction workers and just the usual noise, the city was offering him. And right now, he really preferred the bit of wind around his ears rather than to sit alone in his bedroom. 

Billy lit himself a cigarette while he sat down approximately right where he'd sat with Steve the other night. He usually went for a place somewhere closer to the door that was, right now, only held open by a skillfully placed rock. But somehow at that moment, Billy didn't care too much about the edge or the chance of that door falling shut. He just wanted a moment of peace and quiet, looking down at cars and people passing by, all too busy to notice him up there. He liked that.

His mind was soon drifting off to the night ahead and thinking about all of this somehow resembled sobering up after a party because he was constantly cringing about what he had done. But was it really that stupid? He couldn't stop thinking about how Laurie probably had a point in telling him that he was self-sabotaging. Honestly, who brought a crush on a date with another guy? And even bringing Laurie along wouldn't do anything in favor of getting him laid tonight if he even wanted that. And simply questioning whether or not he wanted to get laid tonight, that was a pretty good indicator of how fucked up Billy was right now. 

He snorted at himself and almost didn't notice the bit of noise coming from the direction of the stairs. He was already expecting Laurie who could have changed her mind, wanting a cigarette after all. Or, worse, Tommy could have seen him walking up here and Billy was already bracing himself to tell him to fuck off and get lost. But no level of preparation could ever help him to deal with those big brown puppy eyes of Steve fucking Harrington, appearing through the barely opened door, along with his head of unreasonably poofy hair. It was ridiculous. Billy almost sighed but he couldn't take his eyes off of Steve, exhaling smoke slowly, trying to keep his head clear.

"Thought I might find you here.", Steve mumbled, stepping through the door completely now. The way the sun was standing right above him, it almost appeared as if there was a halo on top of his head and Billy was thinking words such as beautiful and angelic and hated himself for that. Still, it was hard to take his eyes off of him. Hard to keep his mind from wandering off, filling in the blanks of what Billy didn't dare to purposefully think.

"Careful there.", Billy warned. "You better keep that rock in place or we gonna stay here for a while." Billy returned his gaze back down the edge mostly because he was pretty sure how obviously his face lit up seeing Steve and he'd rather not have him notice. Things between them were weird enough already. Also, he wanted to prove it to himself, that he could stick to his new rules. That he was able to be with Steve without it being weird. Without flirting with him.

"Looking for me, huh?", Billy said instead, going for smugly and casual as he heard Steve approach him with careful steps. That wasn't flirty, was it? "Finished with your phone call?" Just a casual conversation between two guys. Nothing weird about it.

"Looks like it.", Steve said. Soon he was standing right next to Billy, looking down there, too, but from his higher position. "Fuck, that's worse by daylight.", he mumbled.

"Is it?", Billy asked, without turning towards him. He then felt Steve's hand firm on his shoulders as the other boy was sitting down next to him, using Billy to hold onto and to stabilize himself. To Billy's delight, Steve's hand remained there, warm and calming, a moment longer than necessary, after Steve had sat down. Billy kept reminding himself, he should really not start reading into things because Steve wasn't meaning anything with that. He couldn't. But should Billy shrug it off? Or would that make it even weirder since for Steve this was nothing but a casual gesture?

"You have one for me?", Steve asked, taking his hand away after all and using it now to point at Billy's cigarette. Instead of fumbling for a new one, Billy just held his one over for Steve to share because, well maybe this place and the solitude with just the other boy made him just a little braver and sharing a smoke felt just as fucking intimate as Billy needed it to be right now. And if Steve could go for casual intimacy, even touching Billy, then damn it, so could he!

With a smile he watched Steve closing his lips around the cigarette, inhaling while shutting his eyes for a moment, relaxing in this weird spot that strangely had become theirs after that night, if only in Billy's head. But Steve had come here, hadn't he? So maybe it wasn't just Billy's imagination, after all. Speaking of imagination, it was hard to look at Steve's face without imagining those pretty pink lips wrapped around something else, cheeks hollowing with maybe a moan escaping them, almost like now a content sigh was leaving Steve's mouth. Well, okay, fuck, sharing a cigarette might not have been Billy's best idea so far and he shifted a little hoping for Steve not to notice that he was getting hard.

"So you're just here to steal my cigarette, pretty boy?", Billy asked after a moment of just watching him at first and then purposefully not watching him while trying to get the blood back into his brain that certainly needed it more right now. 

Steve didn't answer immediately and Billy wondered that with Steve, he didn't really mind if they just talked or remained silent. It was mostly just easy, at least as long as Billy's imagination wasn't running wild and sabotaging this.

"Dunno.", Steve then shrugged. "Maybe, I just wanted to catch some air, too." He leaned back a little and watched the sky above them. 

Billy wondered if it would be appropriate for both of them to sink back onto the rooftop and lay next to each other like they had done at night. It felt different now, and Billy worried that it might just be because he wanted it more. Because he was now craving this intimacy. Maybe he wouldn't be able to build a friendship on that, but he didn't want to overthink this too much, because then it felt like he was failing Steve.

"Thought you already did with your important phone call." Billy didn't want to argue. Catching some air was as good of a reason for Steve to be here as any. It certainly was a more realistic one than just wanting to see him.

"Yeah, obviously that wasn't enough.", Steve said, his tone a little more unsettled, showing Billy to drop that topic and to not ask any further questions. Billy asked himself to whom Steve might have talked. Maybe it was Nancy and, well, that explained why Steve wanted to go here. Maybe he hadn't even noticed Billy was gone and went upstairs just to be here alone. Billy felt a little out of place with that thought, like he should leave and give Steve some space. Leave this spot to him.

"Today was fucked up.", Steve said as if he had been listening to Billy's thought process. "Just… I hope yours was better so far.", he managed to get out without really giving Billy an explanation. He sounded a bit bitter, but not like he wanted Billy to leave. He sounded like someone who needed a hug and Billy felt bound in place because he certainly wasn't the right person to do so.

"I'm sorry, man.", Billy said. He hoped that he sounded caring and not as stupid as he felt. He wanted to say that his day had been weird, too, but it felt like it wouldn't compare to Steve's anyway and he'd already done enough shit today to make Steve uncomfortable. "You wanna talk about it?", he asked instead.

"It's fine, really. Thanks for the cigarette is what I wanted to say. Really need that today." He snorted but it didn't seem as if it was directed at Billy so much as it was a general reaction to what happened that day.

"Maybe going out is not the worst idea, after all. We get you adequately drunk and hopefully, you forget all about the shit that happened.", Billy suggested. At least that was his preferred way of dealing with shitty days.

"And that ever works?", Steve turned to him with a lopsided smile and Billy's stomach twisted because damn, he just wanted to lean in and kiss him.

"For a few hours.", Billy answered truthfully. "Worth the try. And the hangover after." He winked and mentally scolded himself for doing so a second later.

Steve's smile, though, got just a bit wider as if he wasn't even noticing how much Billy was failing his own rules and then he nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Also, I'm pretty sure, Laurie's going to kill me if I chicken out again. Not sure she'll allow me to ditch her another time."

"Yeah, she certainly has a violent side, so better be careful. But I assure you, it's part of her charm.", Billy grinned.

"So, that's what you like about her?", Steve asked after pausing for a moment.

Billy's smile froze a little but only because he felt like he had to think about this question. "I think, I like her because she's not faking anything, you know? She always speaks her mind and even if that makes her a bitch sometimes if you need her, she's there.", he shrugged.

"That's a good reason.", Steve admitted. "I sometimes worry she would have been better off with another roommate. Someone more fun. More like her."

"So far, there are almost no complains on that behalf. So, don't worry. Compared to her old one, your super low-maintenance.", Billy teased.

Steve shook his head but he couldn't hide his amusement. "So, how was your date this morning? I think I missed the best parts of your story by showing up late."

Billy wasn't really caught off-guard by that question but he wouldn't have expected Steve to ask about it again, so he watched Steve closely, trying to guess what his sparked interest was about. "If by the best parts you mean Laurie questioning me and me giving vague answers, you're probably right.", Billy said and shrugged. He wasn't too sure if he wanted to talk about this morning though. "It was alright, I guess. Not sure if I'm meant for things like that, though."

"Dates? Or relationships?"

"Both probably.", Billy smirked. "Although I was speaking of brunches."

"Oh." A brush was crawling up Steve's face but he was still smiling. "Yeah, Nancy dragged me to a couple of those, you know… back in the day. And so did my parents before her, but… I prefer staying home, having a beer or whatever.", he shrugged it off as if he didn't quite want to share more about his preferred dating ritual. 

Billy wasn't quite having that, though. Now that Steve had started talking about it, he wanted to know more. "What? So you're not offering your date some of that delicious cake? That's pretty cheap on your side if you ask me.", he teased.

Steve smiled. "If they're lucky, they might get some.", he just said and Billy could hardly argue with that. "Honestly, right now I don't really feel like dating again. Like… ever.", Steve mumbled, returning his gaze towards the distant ground.

"Isn't that a bit dramatic?", Billy asked. "One breakup and you want to get off the market?"

Steve just shrugged. "What's the point really? I mean, you don't look particularly happy to spend time with that guy and all I ever had in terms of relationships was pretty much all bullshit, so that's that. Maybe, in the end, it's more hassle than anything else."

"So just hookups every now and then? Not very romantic."

Steve was pouting a little but he didn't look too upset, generally. "Or just stick to myself. At least there's no disappointment in that…"

Billy raised a brow. "If that's the first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to hookups you certainly had the wrong ones."

"I don't know. I'm not too eager to fuck around with someone I don't actually like. At least not anymore.", Steve explained and sure, Billy got that logic but he still didn't like the idea of Steve becoming a hermit now.

"It's not really about not liking them. It's about not taking them to brunch before.", Billy explained with a chuckle. "I bet, Laurie would be down to give you a hand if you ask her very nicely. Or forget to fight her off.", he mocked.

"Yeah, so I end up with her being disappointed as well? I think I might have to pass.", Steve grumbled.

"You don't seem to think too highly of yourself.", Billy noticed. "Maybe add some of your cake to the mix. Whatever you're lacking in bed, she'll gladly overlook if she gets a piece of that." He laughed.

"I'm not…", Steve turned around, rolling his eyes. "Lacking anything. It's just the way she looks at me. It's not like I could ever live up to that and I know what kind of guys she's usually into, so…" He just stopped there as if that had said it all.

"Yeah, can't advise you on that one. Never got that look from her, myself. Probably because I'm not as pretty.", Billy guessed. "But don't worry. This look is less about being in love or some sappy shit. It's more like a lioness targeting prey if you get what I mean."

Steve cleared his throat. "Wow, now that makes me feel a lot better.", he said sarcastically. "Thanks."

"Hey, if she ever gets too much for you to handle, just know that you can always come over to crash at my place. Tommy's off most of the nights anyways." Billy wanted to take that offer back, almost immediately. What kind of fucked up logic was it to lure Steve into his own bedroom to keep him safe from Laurie's approaches? That would only blow up in his face, eventually.

"Thanks. I keep that in mind.", Steve said. He moved a bit and his shoulder knocked against Billy's staying there for a moment.

Billy almost sighed. The worst thing was how he felt his mind calm down at even this slightest bit of physical contact with Steve. He was scolding himself for saying stupid shit and then there was this boy, so close he could smell his cologne and feel the warmth of his body through his clothes and all there was in Billy's mind was Steve. He wasn't thinking about how sappy that might sound or how stupid he was because none of that mattered as long as they sat here and Steve's knee knocked against his own or their hands randomly brushed together. It was probably this dangerous feeling of absolute security that had him falling head over heels for this guy, in the first place.

But even then, Billy could only really allow himself a good few minutes of just sitting there together in silence, listen to Steve's breathing and watching him out of the corner of his eye. Because he couldn't allow himself to get lost in that moment. Not if he kept in mind what Laurie had said. His new set of rules. That Steve was very likely to be very oblivious to whatever Billy was feeling towards him and with every moment like this, Billy allowed to happen, he would only cause this to hurt more for himself later.

"So…", he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "You feel a little better or do you want another one?" He pointed at his pack of cigarettes showing out of his pocket.

Steve turned towards him and curved his lips into a smile. "Think, I'm good. Thanks.", he said. "I really shouldn't be bothering you with my shit that much."

"Don't worry, you're not bothering. It's fun, having you up here.", he said. "Well, not fun-fun, like I don't enjoy it when you're upset or whatever, but it's nice to sit here together and talk, you know?" Billy was fighting a blush that was creeping up his face for already turning this awkward again. Really, how hard could it be to just talk?

"Yeah, definitely.", Steve agreed and then stretched a little, groaning as he moved his shoulders. 

"I should… probably get going. Maybe catch a few hours of sleep before tonight.", Billy said, trying to come up with an alibi because if not he would just sit here with Steve until the other boy grew tired of him.

"Second date, huh?", Steve grinned. "Yeah, I could use a nap, too. It had gotten pretty late last night."

"T'was fun though. We should do that again, sometime."

"Yeah. Maybe with a few more beers then.", Steve tilted his head looking all inviting and shit.

"Careful there," Billy smirked. "Getting shitfaced up here might be a bit dangerous though. Maybe you should just bake a cake for us.", he suggested instead, almost winking again because Steve agreeing on that was totally catching him off–guard. 

"Well, if you're lucky, I might actually do that."

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Billy hadn't been able to take a nap although he quite possibly could have needed one. He and Steve parted in the hallway without exchanging too many words and Billy found Tommy home to whom he talked for a while. Ian later sent a message with the address of that party and Billy was pleasantly surprised to find it in walking distance. They decided to meet right there and even though Billy was still pretty sure, this night was meant to cause some trouble, he just wanted to go along with it and see how it would go. 

"That's the place?", Laurie asked doubtfully when the three of them later walked around a corner. She always was a bit annoying with parties she didn't pick. Like if she hadn't chosen the party herself and then dragged them along, this could obviously only be an inferior party. Billy knew how she was. He also knew that she still had fun, so he just let her brag for now. The worst part was, that often she was right with her judgment because the events Billy picked had the tendency to turn out real fucking shitty. 

Now, since the music they'd been hearing for a while now, was getting louder, Billy was sure they were right here.

"Sure. Ian should be here any minute.", Billy said, checking his phone before fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette. Ian hadn't called or anything so this meeting spot should still be up to date.

"It's actually nice outside, isn't it?", Steve said, walking up to them and positioning himself so the three of them were forming kind of a circle now.

Billy hadn't really noticed the outside that much if he was being totally honest. For one thing, his mind was pretty busy picturing all those funny disasters in which this night end up, beginning with a big fight between him and Laurie or him and Ian, or him acting really weird in front of Steve and turning things between them to shit. And then, as if Billy wasn't feeling bad enough already, Steve was wearing ridiculously tight pants and that wasn't anything if not distracting. Every time he had stepped up a little, Billy could hardly turn his eyes away. Good thing, Laurie wasn't commenting on that though. Billy was very sure this was only because she was too busy staring herself. And with Steve's butt looking even perkier than usual, Billy just wanted to get his hands on him, although by now he should be kind of used to that feeling.

Anyways, Laurie eyed Steve now, looking a little weirded out by his statement. "It's fucking cold.", she commented.

"Maybe you should have put on a decent top.", Billy advised with a smirk. "Or brought a jacket."

"Says Mr. Unbuttoned Shirt?", Laurie asked, snorting.

Almost defensively, Billy looked down at himself and, okay, maybe she was having a point with that one. But Billy liked showing off a little. "Hey, I'm not the one complaining about the cold!", Billy argued.

Steve chuckled. "It's really not that cold.", he said. "You want my jacket?", he then asked Laurie. What a gentleman. Of course, Bambi couldn't know that Laurie wouldn't take it. 

"Nah.", Laurie grumbled.

"Rookie mistake, pretty boy. A girl never wears so little clothes if she wants to cover up.", Billy explained. He would have taken Steve's jacket if he had offered it. Not because he was cold but because the jacket was probably nice and cozy and smelt like Steve and now Billy bit down on his cheek because that was just creepy and he shouldn't think about wearing Steve's jacket.

"So you're the expert now?", Laurie crossed her arms.

Billy raised a brow. "Are you telling me that I'm wrong?"

"You know what? Fuck you!", Laurie just said, flipping him off. She wasn't really mad at him, so Billy just chuckled.

"As I said.", Billy said smugly, turning towards Steve. "Point proven."

Steve shook his head in amusement.

"Hey!", a voice disturbed the moment of silence and Billy turned around to see Ian walking towards them. He arguably looked very good tonight, even better than this morning. But that fact wasn't necessarily making this any less strange. Especially while Billy was barely able to keep his eyes off of Steve, to begin with. Shit… Billy had hoped for a least a little more time before this disaster would blow up in his face.

Hesitantly, and after looking at Laurie for a second as if she would be able to provide some sort of stability for him, Billy walked a few steps away from her and Steve, going towards Ian. Honestly, he had no idea how he should greet him. Okay, this was a date and they had kissed this morning, but wouldn't that be a bit out of place right now? Billy decided to wait for Ian to make the first move. And okay, maybe he was being a coward by doing so but when Ian just came closer and hugged him for a moment, Billy was feeling this strange sort of relief. As Ian let go, Billy swallowed, the uncertainty coming back, before he looked over at Laurie and Steve and led Ian towards them. Laurie was looking rather curious, probably studying Ian closer than she should while Steve was avoiding Billy's gaze altogether, his eyes headed towards the ground. Billy wasn't able to read him, but he wasn't sure if he ever had been. He certainly felt better for not immediately going in to kiss Ian right in front of them. 

"Hey, listen, guys…," Billy said, trying to act out the confidence he felt that he was lacking, "so this is Ian." Billy pointed at Ian who was standing next to him now as if it wasn't obvious who he was talking about. "Ian, this is Laurie and that's Steve."

"Hey." Ian was nodding at them. He was smiling, but there was some guardedness around him.

"Hi.", Steve smiled but it looked a little forced, too. Billy frowned because he wasn't sure how Ian would react to Billy bringing someone who looked like Steve to a date with him. Maybe it would have been easier if Steve hadn't dressed up, if he weren't looking that good right now but then, Billy was pretty sure he would feel the same way no matter what Steve was wearing. This wasn't about Ian. Even with bedhead and his pajama, that boy was just freaking gorgeous.

"Huh, funny, almost couldn't recognize you without that guy in your face.", Laurie joked about the first time she'd seen Ian.

Ian smirked. "So, I've made a great first expression, I see?"

"Splendid.", Laurie agreed. She turned her face to Billy. "You haven't mentioned how cute he is.", she said reproachfully. 

Billy was chuckling, scratching his head and looking at Ian a bit apologetic. Steve was clearing his throat and looking to the side, probably waiting for them to get inside and for this awkward charade finally to be over. Billy got that because honestly, he was feeling the same. If he could ditch all of them now and find himself a bottle of booze and a quiet corner to get shitfaced, he would opt for that.

"Oh, you probably don't know that story, huh?", Laurie said, now addressing Steve. Billy was pretty sure Steve wasn't so much looking for more information on that, as Laurie felt determined to include him in the conversation. "First time I met Ian, I pretty much had to peel these two off of each other." She grinned. "Who would have thought, that's where we would end."

Steve nodded, even though Billy was pretty sure, he'd mentioned that story before. He certainly must have last night, but he wasn't sure about it.

Grinding his molars, Billy tried to keep a good face, while he pretty much felt like running off. Why exactly did he want to invite Steve and Laurie here again? Without them, maybe he could have used a quiet moment to make out and maybe find the right time to drop that he wasn't dating material and that Ian was probably better off looking for someone else. Because, right now, Billy just felt like a fucking asshole, not really wanting to be here and also not able to leave.

"Let's go inside.", Ian finally said and Billy was glad, he did. 

They all walked into the big building, heading towards an elevator and Billy ended up, standing next to Steve right in front of that big metal door, meeting the other boy's eyes through the mirror for just a second. Steve was swallowing, fiddling and obviously not too eager to get to that party, either.

Usually, Billy was good with parties. Okay, maybe not in a way that Laurie was, but still. Laurie barely had any trouble in becoming the light of every party with guys cascading all around her. And she knew exactly how to play them and had the time of her life until she decided she had enough. Then, she either picked one of those guys and took him home or she was frustrated because she wasn't too fond of any of them and then she started looking for Billy or whoever else had been accompanying her, to get home together. Billy was different. He preferred not to be in the center even though he enjoyed getting attention. What he enjoyed more was being in control and that was easier offside the crowd. 

Funnily enough, a party was how his and Laurie's friendship had started at the beginning of college. They'd met in the hallway a couple of times and he'd watched her at parties a couple of times because it was just very hard not to notice her. And one night, even though she wasn't lacking guys to chose from, she was basically shoving herself into his face, all of the sudden all on him and who was he to decline a generous offer such as that, especially since hookups mostly meant talking someone into it first. There wasn't much talking between the two of them at the beginning and Billy was really drawn to that. That was maybe a week into their new arrangements and a few weeks later they weren't just occasional fuckbuddies but pretty much best friends and it was actually really hard to make her shut up for once. Kind of funny how he fell for her game that night, while now he knew exactly what she was doing and how she was playing other dudes.

Right now, worrying about Laurie was the last thing on his mind, though. He gave her five minutes and she would find herself a spot, with guys surrounding her like bees around a honeypot.

But with Steve, Billy had no idea how this evening could go. How it should go. He already looked somewhat like a deer hit by the headlight of a car. It had been different the last time the three of them had been going out and not only because the night had ended with Steve kissing him. Billy started to question if a vain glimpse of hope for that moment to repeat was what had made him drag them along here in the first place.

The elevator stopped and they walked out, already running into people in different states of drunkenness, a few holding on to a red cup, a cigarette or a can of beer. 

"I need a drink.", Laurie announced, taking the lead in the direction of where the music was coming from. Billy watched after her for a second and then he turned to look at Steve and Ian, working very hard not to cringe and not to look at Steve for too long, giving anything away.

"Should we…?", Ian nodded his head in the direction in which Laurie disappeared and Billy immediately nodded, fumbling in his pocket for another smoke. Alcohol was probably the best plan right now. Even if it wouldn't do anything in favor of him solving this mess, at least it would make it more bearable.

"Uh… come on pre-… Steve. Promised to get you drunk, didn't I?", Billy said, because he didn't want to leave the other boy just standing there. 

Steve's face lit up just a little and then they all made their way inside, soon finding the kitchen in which a big dining table was overloaded with booze and cups and different kinds of beverages. Laurie was leaning against it, a cup in her hand, talking to an older guy in a suit who really didn't look like he fitted in there, he was probably in his thirties. When Steve walked past, she grabbed his sleeve and forced him to stop, giving him her drink. "Here, try this.", she ordered, looking at him encouragingly and even though Steve didn't look too sure about this, he took a sip and then chugged the remains of Laurie's drink. Laurie looked at him very proudly.

Billy only took his gaze off of them when Ian held a can of beer in front of his face. "Here.", he said. "Or do you want something stronger?"

"Beer's good, thanks.", Billy mumbled, trying to keep his attention on his date this time. Steve was talking to Laurie and this guy now, so no need to babysit him here, right? And no need to contemplate over how this night could have been spent better with just him and Steve on that rooftop again, staring up at the sky in silence. He opened the can and immediately drank about half of it.

"Glad, you made it.", Ian said. "I actually wasn't expecting you to agree on… meeting me another time."

Well, that they had in common, Billy thought, even though he felt like this wasn't quite the right thing to reply to that. "Why not?", he asked instead, taking another sip of his beer and dumping his half-smoked cigarette into a half-emptied cup that wasn't his. "This morning was fun. I'm in the mood for a party." He shrugged.

"Are you?", Ian tilted his head. "Because you don't look like it."

Billy licked his lips and sighed, hoping he came across rather amused than uncomfortable. "Don't I? Listen, man, I'm sorry, but…" He was right in the middle of explaining to Ian why he might not look like he was having a good time when his gaze wandered to the side and he noticed Steve. Or rather his backside because right now, pretty boy was having a girl by side and they were standing on the opposite side of the kitchen. The girl had an arm slung around his back and her hand slowly but surely went down to feel up his butt. Billy bit the inside of his cheek, now hating how good Steve's ass had looked inside his pants. With looks like that, he would probably end up getting laid, before Billy even got the chance.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?", Ian put his hand on Billy's cheek and chuckled. "What's going on with you?"

Maybe it was this mixture of emotions, mainly jealousy or just the sudden physical contact but Billy put an arm around Ian's neck and leaned in for a desperate kiss that hopefully would help him to forget about that pretty boy who was out of reach for him.

He could feel how Ian was gasping in surprise but he certainly wasn't complaining, he opened his mouth immediately, inviting Billy's tongue.

When Ian made a step back, Billy could see Steve looking at him with big eyes for a seemingly long moment before he shifted his attention back towards the girl next to him. He nodded towards the exit and it was obvious, the girl was agreeing to that proposal because her face lit up and with a big smile, she and Steve walked out of here.

"Let's… find a quiet space?", Billy suggested towards Ian, knowing that this wouldn't really be helping with the initial problem. But at least thereby he wouldn't have to share any kind of look with Steve or watch him getting felt up by a girl. Instead, he could maybe just drown himself in kissing Ian some more because honestly, there were worse ways to spent time.

Ian looked hesitant for a second, but then he nodded. "Yeah, sure." A smile lit up on his face.

"Great." Billy forced himself not to look after Steve another time. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of bourbon from the table. Steve was allowed to have fun with every girl he wanted without having Billy throw him jealous glares. No wonder he left the kitchen right after that…

"There is a bedroom down the hallway. Maybe it's not occupied yet.", Ian said because Billy wasn't actually making any move, to busy remembering Steve's eyes.

"Lead the way?"

Ian leaned in and kissed him once more before he pulled Billy out of the kitchen, down the hallway and into a dark room. Billy wasn't paying attention to anyone else here, scowling at the ground on their way because it was safer than spotting Steve making out somewhere. He barely noticed when they reached their destination, if only by Ian pushing him against the door that had just fallen shut. The glass bottle in Billy's hand was chinking as it hit the door alongside with him, but Billy held onto it, even as Ian was on him now, kissing his neck and being hard to ignore, all of the sudden. 

Billy regained a bit of confidence in their new position because it was easier since he was back in his element now. The others could take care of themselves and Billy could let Ian take care of him.

"God, I couldn't wait to have you all for myself.", Ian said. 

"Yeah.", Billy agreed. 

Ian was still nibbling on Billy's neck, which was… nice. "Can I ask you a question?", he then asked, looking up at him.

"Sure.", Billy nodded, closing his eyes and leaning a bit into Ian's touches. "What's up?"

"That guy, … Steve's his name, right?", he waited for a moment in case Billy would have done anything but nod. "Is he gay?"

Billy swallowed, a bit taken by surprise by that question. "No, he's straight. He's just been through a shitty breakup."

"Not gonna lie, got a bit jealous, when I saw you two together. The way he's looking at you and all.", Ian said, pressing a bit firmer against Billy, trying to get a rise out of him.

"Yeah, don't worry, we're just friends. Would be…", Billy swallowed. "Would be pretty fucked up to bring him here if there was anything more to it.", he shook his head. The only question was, who he was trying to convince with that statement.

"Maybe… kind of.", Ian agreed. "Wouldn't be too mad though. Kinda cute, that boy. And we're not exclusive or anything."

"Not… not that cute.", Billy said, feeling like a liar. "Too old to still get crushes on straight dudes." Wow, bold statement for someone who, over the span of the last week has been doing exactly that and with a great passion.

Thankfully, Ian chuckled, not calling his bluff. "Oh, yeah, tell me about it.", he grinned. "Been through a few very dark years thanks to that. Wasn't even sure, you were gay, a least until we ended up in that closet."

"You didn't know?"

"Only saw you with girls before that.", Ian shrugged. "But I guess, I got the idea when you shoved your tongue into my mouth." He grinned now.

Billy watched him curiously, sticking his tongue out. "Yeah?" He put a hand on Ian's waist, pulling him closer to emphasize his words. Because there was a lot he could do with his tongue and why not give Ian a taste of that?

"Mhm."

And because he really wanted to, Billy leaned in and kissed him and it was better than the shorter one they shared in the kitchen. Neither of them was taken by surprise by that and it felt like they both wanted to prove something. Only that Ian had no idea, Billy was mainly trying to convince himself with that kiss, showing off his skills and feeling even better when he got the expectable reaction out of himself and Ian. 

It didn't take much from Billy to gain the upper hand and shove Ian against the cupboard behind them, rolling his hips against the other one and getting a moan out of him. And Ian really was a good kisser. He seemed to know exactly what Billy wanted, tongue fighting in one moment and just letting him in the next, sucking and biting and all the good stuff. And Billy would lie if he said he didn't enjoy the hell out of this, but even though he barely knew Ian, a few minutes in, he knew what he was doing because with every move being just right, there was some kind of predictability with it and just something lacking from the kiss Billy wasn't quite able to pin down.

"Gimme that.", Ian mumbled breathlessly, pointing at the bottle of bourbon that was still dangling in Billy's hand.

"Good idea." Billy opened the bottle and gave it to Ian first, watching him chug down a few big sips before taking it back. Billy did the same, trying to numb out his own hesitation and especially that part of his fucked up brain that kept going back to Steve, picturing him doing just the same damn thing in some other corner of this place, a pretty girl in his arms. But the feeling of warmth spreading through his body soon enough and the slight buzz following after a few moments was good for now. It helped.

"So…", Ian looked at him both brows raised. "Are you one for taking things slow? Because I'll definitely go down on you right now if you ask me nicely."

"Fuck…" Billy choked on the last sip of Bourbon running down his throat, coughing it out.

Ian started laughing and, luckily, it didn't take Billy long to catch his breath again, his face totally blushed by now. "Are you serious?"

To prove his point, Ian flipped them around ones more and cupped Billy's crotch through his pants, as he slowly lowered to his knees, licking his lips. And Billy just sank back against the cupboard, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You're okay with that, right?" Billy could tell by the tone of Ian's voice that this was mainly teasing. He ran his finger's under the hem of Billy's pants and Billy could feel himself growing even harder.

"So… so okay.", he managed to get out, squinting his eyes shut as Ian popped open the button of his pants, only pulling them down so far until Billy's dick sprung free, obviously very excited for what they were about to do. Billy wasn't quite sure if he was glad for that or if he should feel betrayed.

"Damn… should have done this the last time.", Ian mumbled, more to himself. Billy opened his eyes, wanting to see if maybe anything was wrong but then Ian closed his lips around his cock and Billy just felt as if everything blurred together a little. He reached behind himself with both hands to maybe get some leverage because Ian wasn't going particularly slow on him. And he definitely knew what he was doing, taking Billy deep, swallowing around him and moaning as if he was enjoying this more than Billy. Only once Billy worried, someone could come and walk in on them but for the most, his mind was pretty occupied with getting really fucking good head here. He was holding onto the cupboard behind him with a firm grip, his knuckles all right, enjoying this, as unexpected as it was. And maybe Billy felt like he deserved this. Not necessarily for going on two dates with this guy but for constantly worrying over his own sanity for the last couple of days. And yeah, maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to kind of use Ian for that but it wasn't like Billy had forced him to do this and it didn't look like Ian wasn't enjoying the hell out of this either.

And Billy certainly wasn't a selfish lover because he pulled Ian up, after he came down his throat, pulling him into a kiss. He reached into Ian's pants, pulling out his dick and stroking it, hands already moist with precome while he kept licking into his mouth.

"Yeah… please!", Ian moaned, leaning his head back a little, to allow Billy to go for more, to go deeper.

Billy was soon able to forget about Laurie and Steve because one second he and Ian were emptying the bottle of booze and the next one, they were onto each other, dry humping, leaving hickeys or reaching into each other's pants, they had just pulled up seconds before. So far Ian had come at least twice and Billy was really fucking close again, too, rolling his hips against Ian's to get just a bit of friction, just enough to send him over the edge again, because he was fucking desperate for it.

"Hargrove? HARGROVE? The fuck… Where are you?!"

Billy felt Ian's thigh pressing very close to his crotch, educing a suppressed groan from him that, for a moment, overpowered his worries about that high-pitched voice.

"That's Laurie, right?", Ian mumbled against his neck.

"Just ignore her, she'll fuck off.", Billy decided, focussing on the feeling of Ian's hand on his chest, probably searching for any of those sensitive spots. Once he found a nipple and gave it some attention, Billy threw his head back and moaned again.

The door was pulled open and all of the sudden it was way brighter in here and Billy felt a little exposed without Ian on him, sporting a very visible hard-on.

"There you are!", Laurie said. "Fuck, could you take a break from banging in that dude's bedroom and help me out for a second? I'm sure there'll be plenty of time for you to get your dick wet, later."

Billy swallowed, finding it a little hard to focus on her because, to be honest, he was pretty buzzed by now. But Ian got the idea and took a step back, leaving Billy horny and actually pretty annoyed with both of them. Her for interrupting and Ian for playing along with it. 

"What's the matter? Or are you just making a habit of disrupting us?", he growled, trying to straighten his clothes a little, even though he was pretty certain he looked very disheveled anyways.

"My stupid roommate is fucking shitfaced and won't listen. I wouldn't come to you if I had another plan. Just tell him to go home? He says he won't leave without your stupid ass." Laurie sounded annoyed, too but as soon as she mentioned Steve, Billy was all ears.

"He's drunk?" Billy hadn't thought about what Steve was doing for more than an hour now, arguably because he was being pretty occupied. He didn't want to picture Steve making out with a random pretty girl.

"And super fucking annoying.", Laurie confirmed and rolled her eyes. "He basically kept half a dozen girls entertained for the last hour by talking about his breakup. I'm sure at least half of them wants to get in his pants but he's not even noticing.", she shook her head. 

Well, that sounded like Steve. Billy snorted.

"Aw, he still won't make out with you?", he then teased.

"Just get him home before he gets sick.", Laurie said, her lips pressed tight. "Because judging by the number of cups he's emptied, that'll happen soon."

"Fuck. Alright." He looked at Ian. "Give me a minute?"

"Sure.", Ian nodded.

"Lead the way.", Billy said to Laurie. He pulled down his shirt, trying to cover up a bit as he followed her. But one step back into the party was enough to confirm that nobody was paying attention to him anyway.

Steve was sitting on a couch basically crowded with pretty girls he wasn't even paying much attention to. Billy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Steve also had that pretty blush on his cheeks, probably because he was that drunk. Laurie stopped next to Billy, just watching as Steve raised his cup and mumbled something something about heartbreak and drinking and bullshit and even though it didn't make any sense whatsoever and Billy frowned, the girls were cheering and drinking along with him. Honestly, he'd never seen Steve that confident and even smug before. A half-smoked cigarette was dangling from his mouth and he had his arms draped over the shoulders of the girls sitting closest to him. The only thing that wasn't incredibly sexy about him right now was that he was definitely very very drunk and had trouble focusing his eyes on something, playing it off by being lighthearted and bubbly.

"Over an hour?", Billy asked, disbelieving.

"It's like he's starting a cult or something." She shook her head in amusement. "Could take any of them home. Probably more than one if he's smart but he has no idea" Laurie kept her voice pretty quiet so only Billy could listen.

"Sounds about right.", Billy snorted. He wasn't too sure if Laurie was right though. Not after Steve had told him that right now he had no interest in dating. So that could just be him trying to have a nice time and enjoying the attention. Billy wouldn't blame him for that.

"So, you and Ian? Finally managed to get laid, Hargrove?", she smirked.

"Something like that.", Billy grumbled. "Come on, let's get him out of here."

It wasn't like Billy didn't want to go back to Ian soon, but Steve didn't look like he could drink any more than he already had.

Laurie reached the couch first and by the angry glares she was getting from the other girls, she'd already left an impression on them. "Come on, Steve. Billy's here.", Laurie said to him with a firmness in her voice that honestly gave Billy a bit of a chill. A few girls were complaining or even booing but Steve looked up immediately.

"Billy?", Steve asked with big eyes and damn, he was pretty, even being that drunk. Billy was still sporting a semi from making out with Ian, but what he felt now, just by meeting Steve's eyes, was something different. 

"Come on, let's get you home, pretty boy.", Billy said calmly, moving a bit closer to him, too.

"You gonna come?", Steve asked, lulling. He then tried to stand up, forcing a few girls who basically sat on top of him, to move to the side before he fell right back down onto the couch, barely able to keep his balance.

Laurie looked at Billy with a raised brow and Billy got it, there was basically no way to get Steve home like that on her own. He wouldn't even leave the fucking apartment like that.

And before Billy even could confirm that he was taking Steve home now, Ian showed up by his side. "You're leaving?", he asked.

Damn. Billy turned and looked at him which felt weird now that they weren't on each other anymore. "It'll be easier if I come along. Take him home safely.", Billy mumbled and then he shrugged.

"You want me to… come along, too?", Ian asked, hesitantly. Billy got what this was about. If he said yes, they would definitely fuck tonight and Ian would stay and they would wake up together tomorrow and… But Billy just wasn't into the idea of that.

Instead, he swallowed. "Maybe, we just talk again tomorrow?", he suggested instead.

Ian's face tensed up a bit. "Sure. Yeah. Let's talk tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment but then he stepped closer and cupped Billy's face with one hand. "Thanks for coming, anyway.", he leaned in and kissed him. "Goodnight." Maybe it was worse that this wasn't a desperate and rather a sweet kiss. It felt like it meant something and Billy had no idea what. And also not that much interest in finding out.

"Sorry.", Billy said, swallowing. But he shook off that feeling a moment later and turned to Steve who was, for whatever reason throwing him a scandalized look.

"Come on, Steve.", Laurie said, rolling her eyes. She had this look on her face as if she was about to walk up to him and throw him over her shoulder herself and Billy wouldn't really be surprised if she attempted just that.

"Why?", Steve complained. "I'm having fun.", he stated, looking at one of the girls with a compelling grin. The girl chuckled and nodded.

Billy walked towards him next. "Sure you do. But let's move the fun home, alright?"

Steve looked at him a little disbelieving but when Billy held out his hand for him to grab, Steve took it and let himself be pulled up. But Billy could immediately see the kind of problem they were having. Because Steve could hardly keep his balance while standing, let alone walk.

"Damn, how many drinks did you have?", Billy mumbled.

"A few?"

"Next time, he's staying home.", Laurie grumbled and Billy smirked because Laurie wasn't really annoyed with Steve being drunk. She was annoyed he still wasn't into her. Also, she would be the first one to ask him to join, next time. "Can you carry him?"

"I'm not doing bridal style…", Billy complained, even though, now that he was thinking about it…

"Just throw him over your shoulder or give him a piggy back ride or whatever.", Laurie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, alright.", Billy agreed. "Come on, pretty boy, I'm gonna carry you home."

The first thing Billy and Laurie had to do, was to get Steve away from his newfound crowd, those girls definitely complaining about their loss. There were a few drunken whines and a few "Bye Steve"'s and "Call me"'s. But Billy and Laurie needed a bit of space for him to get Steve up and carry him so they just led him out of the apartment onto the less crowded hallway.

Billy thought that a piggyback ride was probably the easiest to do if he needed to carry Steve all the way home, so he turned around to attempt just that.

"Can you help?", Billy asked Laurie. "I highly doubt, he'll manage to get up there by his own."

Laurie looked at Billy, then at Steve before she groaned, slowly accepting that Billy was right with that. With Steve barely being able to walk, he sure as hell wouldn't be able to successfully climb up Billy's back. "Sure.", she said, sounding annoyed. "Remind me to ditch your sorry asses next time. I could be getting laid by now.", she complained.

"Well, you pretty much torpedoed my attempt on that behalf so maybe that's just karma.", Billy smirked, turning around to her.

"With Ian? He your boyfriend, now?", Steve asked, curiously. His words sure sounded very slurred but that was only to be expected, judging by how much he drank.

"Come on, up there.", Laurie said and, next thing, Billy felt Steve's arms on his neck. Steve groaned, shifting a little, not quite able to hold himself or pull himself up. Billy tried, reaching for his legs while Laurie was doing her best to push Steve upward or at least get him high enough for Billy to hold him there.

"Ou! Hey, that's my butt!", Steve complained scandalized.

"Shut up, dickhead, and get your drunk ass up there….", Laurie mumbled, shoving a bit harder.

Billy smirked. "Come on, pretty boy, second rule when it comes to clothing: Don't wear tight pants like that, if you don't want someone to feel up your rear.", he commented. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn't picturing Steve's firm ass right now.

"Good rule. I have another one: Don't get so shitfaced, your roommate has to carry you home.", Laurie commented.

"Don't be so hard on him. As if that never happened to you.", Billy rolled his eyes.

"I'm cute when I'm drunk.", Laurie argued.

Billy put his hands on Steve's thighs moving him up a bit more and then Steve was hugging his arms around Billy's neck and snuggling his face into Billy's neck. Billy decided that this probably wasn't the right moment to tell her that Steve was in fact very cute. And he was also very close right now...

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one to think that.", Billy said. "And he isn't so bad. I mean… you can stay here if you want to. I'll carry him home like that."

Billy felt Steve nuzzling against his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"Fuck, that tickles, stop it!", he complained, without really meaning it.

Laurie looked at him suspiciously.

"M'not doing anything.", Steve mumbled against his skin, thereby tickling even more. "It's comfy like that."

"Yeah, yeah, alright.", Billy smirked.

"Oh, both of you shut up!", Laurie ordered them. "This party's dead anyway. Let's just get home." She added an annoyed grunt.

Billy sighed and then he nodded in agreement.

And with that, they left the party.

"Now, is he?", Steve asked quietly, as they got into the elevator.

Bily frowned. "What now?"

"Boyfriend.", Steve mumbled.

Even without looking, Billy was pretty sure that Laurie was rolling her eyes at them.

"Ian's not my boyfriend.", Billy said firmly because it was true, right?

Laurie looked at him with a frown. "Well, you let him pretty close to your dick for him to not be your boyfriend. He doesn't look like just a hookup kinda guy."

"If getting close to my dick is what qualifies someone to be boyfriend material, you're arguably closer than Ian is.", Billy pointed out.

"Maybe you shouldn't lead him on then. At least, if you're not interested to continue this.", Laurie wondered.

"I don't know if I'm interested, though. For now, I'm just following his lead, looking where this gets me.", Billy shrugged, being careful to not thereby accidentally shrug Steve off of him.

"Just hook up and tell him to fuck off then. If you don't care, it doesn't matter, right? You didn't need to go to brunch before just to get laid. That's just stupid…"

"I know.", Billy said. "What do you want me to say? I'm giving it another week maybe, then I'll call it quits."

"He kissed you goodnight.", Laurie pointed out.

Steve snorted.

"Hey, everything alright with you, pretty boy?", Billy asked, thinking Steve might be choking up there.

"Just tired.", he decided, nuzzling back against Billy's neck.

"So what, he kissed me. And he's good at it. Since this whole thing started with us making out so maybe that's just our thing."

"If you keep mentioning how good of a kisser he is, I might have to give it a try.", Laurie smirked.

"Pretty sure, he's very gay.", Billy told her. "But I can ask him if he's available once I've figured everything out."

"Do that.", Laurie laughed. "Oh man, you sure know how to pick them, huh?"

"What?", Steve asked, now engaging in the conversation again.

"Shut up, Stevie-boy and let the grown-ups talk.", Laurie told him.

"Hey!"

"What?", Billy asked, trying to tone all this down a little. "You wanna kiss my boyfriend, too?"

"No.", Steve grumbled. "Thought he wasn't…"

"Yeah, Hargrove, get your story straight.", Laurie playfully boxed him in the side.

"Don't punch me!", Billy complained. "Fine. He's no one's boyfriend, so I guess he's fair game."

"Don't wanna kiss 'im.", Steve slurred. He was still so close to Billy's neck that he could feel Steve's lips moving against it. Billy shivered and hoped that Laurie wouldn't be able to notice.

"Yeah, alright.", Laurie said sarcastically. She shook her head in disbelief. "I think, we got that by now."

"What?", Billy laughed. "You don't wanna know who he wants to kiss?"

"I'm good.", Laurie decided.

"Billy," Steve tried to catch Billy's attention. "M'tired."

Billy just exhaled while Steve seemingly melted more onto his back, feeling all warm and cozy and almost like he was hugging him. "Yeah, we'll get you home so you can sleep it off, alright? If you're nice, I might even put a glass of water and some Aspirin on your nightstand."

"M'not drunk.", Steve argued.

Laurie snorted.

"Yeah?", Billy chuckled. "Then, tell me again, why can't you walk?"

"Don't let him down!", Laurie warned. "We'll never get him up again."

"Too tired to walk.", Steve decided not very convincingly. "Need to sleep."

"Gotcha.", Billy smirked. "Now, how isn't he a cute drunk?", he asked Laurie.

"Plenty of reasons…", Laurie mumbled. "For one, he's still pretty fucking annoying if you ask me."

"I carried your drunk ass home countless of times. And often enough I had to fight off stupid guys that wanted to take you home, first."

"And I'm forever thankful but at least I never complained about you carrying me home."

"No?", Billy laughed. "When you're shitfaced that's literally all you do. And you're pretty big on telling me how you're not even drunk, too. So look at him, because right now, he's you."

"Asshole.", Laurie rolled her eyes.

"What?", Steve asked confused.

"Nothing. You're still you, I'm just here trying to prove a point."

"And failing at it.", Laurie argued.

"See? Never stop with the arguing, even without me carrying you."

Laurie crossed her arms over her chest, finally giving in. But of course, that wasn't the last time she spoke before they got back to the dorm and when they did, Billy was almost a little disappointed because Steve just felt so good like that, almost as if they were cuddling and letting go was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now.

Laurie unlocked their bedroom and Billy carried Steve inside, leading to his bed. He squatted down a bit and turned awkwardly, just to carefully let Steve down onto the mattress. 

"No!", Steve complained, still holding onto Billy. "It's soo cold!"

Billy chuckled. "Get under the blanket and you'll be warm in no time.", he advised.

"Stay, please…", Steve begged.

"Oh, please don't.", Laurie said deadpanned. Billy looked at her and she wasn't wearing a top right now, reaching for a shirt she wanted to wear for the night.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to the guy that just carried your drunk roommate home for you.", he said, still in a good mood. He just sat down on the edge of Steve's bed right now, because Steve wouldn't let him go any further.

Laurie glared at him. "Good night, Billy.", she said.

"You heard her, pretty boy. No cuddling tonight, we don't want to upset her, huh?", Billy joked.

"She's mean.", Billy said, with a cute angry expression on his face.

"Fuck you, Steve.", Laurie huffed.

"He doesn't mean it."

"Yes, I do!"

"For Christ's sake, can you make him shut up?", Laurie was asking Billy now, frustration showing on her face.

Billy looked at Steve. "How about you get some sleep?", he tried.

"I'm so cooold…", Steve whined.

Billy looked at Laurie with a frown. 

"Honestly, whatever. Stay, what do I care?", she groaned. "Pretty sure, I've heard Tommy and Carol banging over there, so you could need some shelter anyway."

Billy looked at her with widened eyes because not only had he not heard his roommate whatsoever, he certainly hadn't expected Laurie to give him literally a free pass to sleep in Steve's bed. Because in Billy's tipsy mind, that sounded like a good plan. Of course, he would only stay here for half an hour or so, or until Steve was asleep before he would get into his own bed. This way Steve wouldn't complain and Billy didn't have to let go of this just yet.

"Shut up and get some sleep.", Billy smirked, tucking Steve in. "I'm right here. Good night."

"Night.", Steve said, now with a content smile on his face. Billy didn't crawl underneath Steve's blanket and just laid down right on the edge of his bed. After all, this wasn't for long.

"Talk tomorrow?", Billy looked at Laurie.

"Whatever…", she mumbled, turning her light off.

"Don't be mad at him, we basically forced him to go.", Billy said, trying to make things good with her.

Laurie sighed, losing a bit of the defensiveness. "I know that.", she mumbled, pulling up her own sheets. "Just… goodnight, we'll talk tomorrow.", she finally agreed. 

Her voice sounded softer and Billy was pretty sure that her annoyance wasn't all about him and Steve. He made a mental note to really talk to her the next day. He hoped it would survive the night, because as soon as Billy turned his head to look at Steve for a second, he looked right back at him with sleepy, big eyes, reaching with his arms in his direction and mumbling "C'mere." There was only the glimpse of a second or so in which Billy worried whether this was a smart thing to do, because then Steve was close behind him, hugging an arm around Billy. Steve where it was warm and fucking cozy and it couldn't be that wrong to enjoy that for a moment, right? It wasn't like he was taking advantage. Billy behaved, laid there on his bed with his hands to himself, face turned away from Steve. But more than worrying, Billy just hoped that Steve was warm and comfy now.

"Night.", Steve mumbled.

"Night, pretty boy.", Billy said quietly. His hands twitched but he ignored the urge to run it over Steve's body. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to just enjoy how close they were and how nice Steve smelled, even with the pretty prominent hint of booze coming from his direction. Just half an hour. Just until Steve's breath would start going more regularly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got longer than I expected it to be. Very likely the longest update ever. Hope you enjoy :)


	8. A big mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy's plans don't go quite as planned and we'll see how he deals with that problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

There was the monotone ticking sound of an alarm clock in the background. With Steve's breath warm against the side of Billy's neck, it was one of the only things to keep him grounded. Still, his initial plan of leaving as soon as he got the chance lost importance by the second. Or more, his own bed, cold and sad and solitary across the hallway didn't hold much appeal to him. No, not when this once was so warm and cozy. 

He couldn't help it. With Steve's body pressed against his side, even fully dressed like that, it created the perfect temperature to sink into deep slumber. Billy couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that comfortable. And no, it wasn't like they were laying there spooning or anything. Or at least, Billy would tell himself that later. But then, it was hardly convincing even right now.

And being half asleep, Billy's head was spinning a little, going round and round on the thing that they were doing. Which wasn't romantic in any way because it couldn't be. Which was more like two guys sharing a bed. Two guys being really close because one of them was cold and also pretty drunk. That was it. Completely understandable and just a thing, friends did, yeah? Girls had sleepovers all the time, didn't they? And of course, he wouldn't sleep in Steve's bed! Was Steve asleep already? Pretty boy sure felt like he was, all heavy and with his face looking soft even in the darkness. Billy would just close his eyes for a second. Just so he could make sure to sneak out without waking his friends. A second more couldn't hurt. Billy wasn't even that tired. And this wasn't the most comfortable he's ever been. Definitely a close second though. 

And Billy wouldn't complain about being so close to Harrington. But on the grand scheme of things, this was Billy doing him a favor and there were no ulterior motives here. So, when Steve snuggled against Billy's shoulder, snoring, Billy hugged an arm around him to keep him comfortable. That was all. And Billy wasn't falling asleep here because this would be a stupid thing to do. Almost as stupid as drawing slow circles on Steve's arm with his fingers was. But Steve was breathing so calmly, Billy was sure, he was asleep. And Billy was just waiting for a few more minutes anyway. Because he needed to get into his own room and he would definitely do that. No doubt about it. When Steve put a hand on Billy's chest, he wouldn't call this cuddling. No, well semi-cuddling maybe. Billy definitely wasn't thinking about how nice that felt though. He only worried because it would be way harder now to get out of this bed without waking Steve up and he shouldn't do that. So he tilted his head once again, trying to decipher the time on the alarm clock. Fine. He decided that he would only stay ten more minutes. Fifteen max. He wouldn't fall asleep here, even if his body felt heavier by the second, sinking deep into the soft mattress and his breath grew a little deeper... 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Billy woke up to the early morning light reaching his face through the not quite closed curtains. He didn't even need to pay a look to the outside to know that it was definitely too early to stand up. To be awake. Blinking his eyes open now would only leave him blind. So, instead, he turned over to his side and pulled the blanket a little higher. It felt like this was the only way trying to avoid this super annoying brightness.

But he forgot about that almost immediately, an involuntary hum leaving his throat. All the sudden there was this scent surrounding him. And he could only describe it as the most freaking amazing thing he had ever smelt. He needed more, needed to get closer. This was better than early morning coffee or the smell of the air seconds after a summer rain. And there was something oddly familiar to it. Like smelling an old childhood toy or your grandmother's perfume. But Billy didn't care where it came from. He was too tired to care. But even the stale taste of booze in his mouth or the smell of alcohol leaking out through his pores didn't lessen his attraction too it. Billy was too hot and a bit hungover but this still felt like heaven to him. 

Even without opening his eyes, Billy was pretty damn aware that he wasn't laying in his own bed. No, the mattress underneath him was providing this unfamiliar kind of comfort. His own pillow was pretty tough and no way he would be snuggling into it like he was now. Could be a dream though because usually waking up wasn't that nice. Sure there were familiar things, too, not just this strange bliss. Like the hint of sweat in the air, resulting from him still wearing yesterday's clothes. But it didn't do anything to keep him from enjoying this through and though. In fact, he was enjoying this moment too much to focus on anything else right now. At least for a few more moments, he would just carry on breathing in and out, maybe then fall back asleep for a while.

Nice things though, in Billy's experience, never lasted very long. Usually, because he had the tendency to fuck them up. He did something wrong or there was a lack of time. So most pleasant mornings ended abruptly and uncomfortably at one point or another. Billy was definitely used to this feeling of time running up especially when he felt good. This feeling that something's about to blow up in his face while he wasn't able to see it yet or to brace himself. But it was this feeling that had him run through the events of last time, even though his mind was still going slow. 

He remembered Ian. The awkward hello and the less awkward making out later. It still caused Billy's face to cringe. Was that where he ended up? Going home with Ian and falling asleep in his bed? All the sudden, Billy felt the urge of wanting to get further away from the warm feeling next to him. But with that scent still so prominent, it wasn't like he could. It was drawing him close. Closer.

The next memory that was flooding his groggy brain was the goodnight kiss with Ian. They had still been at that party then, right? At least, Billy was pretty certain his memory of leaving Ian behind then wasn't tricking him. So that might not be Ian, he was sharing the bed with.

It sure would have been easier to assess when he just blinked open his eyes. But over the last years, Billy had experienced a quite similar scenario to this endless times. It wasn't unusual for him to wake up somewhere else, in bed with somebody whose face he barely remembered. With close to no idea of what had happened the night before. Sometimes that ended with awkward talks.   
Sometimes with fights because someone's boyfriend or girlfriend returned. And those were never happy to see Billy. So, Billy had learned his strategies to cope. Either he sneaked out while the other person was still asleep or he pretended to be sleeping. At some point, they would get up to shower or to get coffee and Billy would get his stuff and run. This worked quite well to avoid awkwardness or getting punched in the morning. But right now, there was no way Billy would slip out of this bed at the break of dawn. Not as long as he wasn't forced to leave.

Somehow, being in the bed of just some random hookup was calming Billy's mind. This was something he knew. He preferred it over the idea of having gone home with Ian. Maybe because it was easier, with fewer complications involved. Less meaning. And so, Billy couldn't help but ease more into the warm figure by his side. He even sneaked a hand over it to move his fingertips over the side, slowly and gently. Whoever this was, felt nice and warm underneath his touch. The calm breathing didn't hitch for even a second. Billy grew a little braver. He moved his hand over the nice curve of hips and thighs, smelling more of that amazing scent. He knew he was smiling like an idiot and pretty glad he was facing the back of someone's head. Was it some sort of perfume? Well, whoever it was, sleeping there in front of him, all curled up, was now moving against Billy's hand almost as if pressing into the touch. Billy didn't complain about the handful of ass he got there. 

By now, he was pretty sure he was sharing beds with a guy and he opted for slightly firmer strokes. And he enjoyed every single reaction he got out of the other. But even with the growing encouragement, it surprised Billy when the guy arched his back. Or maybe it was those hips pressing against his own crotch that made him gasp. 

Billy barely managed to bite down on a grown and he froze in his movement. He only dared to move again and remembered to breathe when the other guy did the same. And the sweet sweet friction was everything. 

The pressure, the other body was providing him with, was getting stronger. Billy's hand was set motionless on the side of the other one's hips. He wanted to hold onto something, steadying them a bit as he and the other guy moved against each other in lazy ruts. 

The guy moaned and in another moment Billy would have stopped and checked if he was still alive even. His own breath hitched which was awkward, but the firmer press and the guy now downright wiggling his butt were a good distraction. Overwhelming is what it was. Billy couldn't focus on any thought going through his head. He was too distracted by the wandering heat in his body. 

His hand ran over curvy flesh again, feeling up that ass, whose owner he yet had to identify. Both of their movements had slowed down some. This was getting sweeter. More like cuddling. Billy leaned his head forward so his nose pressed against the nape of the guy's neck. God, he smelt so good. Billy's hand was going lower on the thigh now. Yeah, this was definitely a guy, so they must have hooked up sometime after a party. Or even on there. But Billy couldn't remember too many hot guys there. Or it wasn't like he had been paying attention. It almost made him a little dizzy that he enjoyed the company of another guy like that. A few days ago, he would have sworn that his new crush on Steve...

It was another moan from the guy in front of him that made him freeze. Billy jerked away when he felt the firmer press of hips against his fully hard dick again. No, this wasn't a random hookup he was practically dry humping here. FUCK!

Now, that wake-up call came pretty immediate and definitely caught Billy by surprise. Once he blinked his eyes open, there was no way he was mistaken the owner of this head of fluffy brown hair in front of his face. He should have identified him sooner, smelling like rich people's shampoo but also so so good. Like, who else even smelt like that? Billy knew he had fucked up not only because Steve was still moving in his sleep, on the verge of waking up. He was in bed with Steve Harrington. And it wasn't helping that this whole scenery came pretty close to a bunch of disturbingly vivid dreams Billy had. The fact that right now he was still poking Steve's ass with his dick could just be described as not the most ideal of situations. What a great way to start a day.

And now Billy started to sweat. And not like the good type, like when you felt your workout started to kick in or you got your dick sucked properly. This was more like the having a fever and being close to passing out type of sweat. Billy's hands felt cold and burnt at the same time which was weird. And it definitely wasn't helping. He held them up towards his chest in an awkward position now, to not risk touching Steve any further.

For a second time on that morning, Billy was cringing. Only now, when he was retreating backward, thereby almost dropping out of the small bed. Not even the best feeling in the world could hold him back there, although he could have sworn he was very close to that. There was this terrible blush on his face that wasn't disappearing even as his legs finally reached the ground. 

Steve let out a couple of small whining noises, probably because Billy had moved the blanket and he got cold. But although cold, Billy could only hope that he was still fucking asleep. He couldn't be aware of what just happened. Billy almost jumping him. Fuck… Billy wiped off a few cold beads of sweat from his forehead. He also sent out quite a bunch of silent prayers to whatever deity might care for his dilemma. He even started making all kinds of dumb promises for if he got out of there without waking anyone up.

Billy stood up and remembered times when he had been in the same cat-like posture. Soft in the knees while trying not to get the ground to squeak underneath him. Right now he wasn't sure if this might actually be worse than avoiding his father's rage by sneaking out of the house in the early morning hours. But the way his heart was almost jumping out of his chest, definitely reminded him of those times. 

But for now, Steve looked good. All curled up in kind of a blanket burrito. He looked adorable actually and Billy hated himself for being so creepy. Forcefully, he brought his next gaze towards Laurie. And luckily she was sleeping as well, quieter as Steve even but that wasn't surprising. Because no-one had groped her in her sleep. But Billy really must have been shit out of luck to not only have this mess happen but to also have Laurie wake up early for once in her life to watch all this. Instead, for now, it appeared that Billy only had to deal with this mess himself. At least as long as pretty boy over there kept his fucking eyes shut. He was still snoring cutely. But thinking about things to deal with, now being still for a moment there was no way Billy could ignore that pretty impressive bulge in his crotch area. Very fucking bad timing for that, that was for sure! And why was it that now that he was looking at it, the urge to touch, to palm himself for just a second was like a million times stronger than before?

Without turning towards Steve or Laurie again, Billy was quickly heading for the door. He was trying to balance pros and cons of just going into the bathroom or to immediately withdraw into the safety of his room. While crossing the hallway, it was admittedly not very likely someone would see. But if Tommy was home and Billy blustered in there, this was bad. He would have to deal with a bunch of nasty comments or worse… questions. Dealing with his problem then would be awkward at least. But taking care of it he needed to do, and rather quickly for that matter. Because even while busy fleeing this whole scene, Billy's mind kept playing those little moaning noises Steve had let out, on repeat. He wasn't too sure how many times he could actually think of this before he would cream his fucking pants like he was still in high school. Especially that little whine Steve had let out as soon as Billy moved a few inches, did all kinds of bad things to Billy. Sure, he had felt the loss of warmth and comfort himself. But imagining Steve waking up with Billy pressed against him, freaking out over it, helped to keep his head straight. It didn't make him feel any better though. Nah. Not a bit.  
This might be the worst morning Billy's ever had and it had started so fucking promising. Maybe that was it though. The better the illusion the worse the wake-up call coming after. Fuck. FUCK! 

Why did he even agree on sharing a bed in the first place? Because it was painfully obvious now how that was the dumbest fucking idea he had ever had. EVER! Like, what the fuck?! He should fuck off as soon as possible, get in his own bed and spare all this shit to Steve. Pretend it didn't happen. Should be something he was relatively good at. Billy thought that if he did this the right way, he may just get out of here with one really fucked up memory. Steve would wake up and probably think that Billy had gotten back into his room sometime last night. And well, maybe he had some vague memories of like a weird dream or something but no way he would figure this out, right? No, he wouldn't think further about this. He couldn't.

The worst part was that Billy couldn't even blame this mess on being shitfaced last night. Because he hadn't been that drunk. Not even close. So, actually, there was like no fucking excuse for falling asleep in Steve's bed. Not even under the pretense of 'keeping him warm' which, judging by how warm and cozy Steve's bed had felt in the first place, wasn't good reasoning. Not at all. So fucking stupid! And it wasn't like Laurie hadn't warned him about this. Now, she probably wouldn't stop teasing him about it, how he had slipped right into pretty boys bed. Whenever she would get the chance to. Which would be far from helpful. So actually Billy was to blame. Because it was obvious that he couldn't think straight when he was near Steve. And that he was still painfully hard was a pretty prominent reminder of that little fact.

Billy laid his hand on the door handle to finally get out. He had decided that quietly jerking off in his own room while cringing some more and yeah, also hating himself was the better option. Because was there even a better way to start a new fucking day? But he didn't even make it to actually pull the door open when he heard the crumpling of sheets behind him. He froze mid-movement, clenching his teeth.

"Where are you going?", a voice cut through the silence of the room. Well, of course, Steve was awake now. And of fucking course, he was speaking with the cutest husky sleepy voice imaginable. Billy just wanted to punch himself to stop this fact from going straight to his cock. While blushing he turned his head to look over his shoulder, careful to keep his body headed towards a door. Because there was like no fucking way he would be able to hide his current situation. And Steve looking at him with adorable brown eyes wasn't helping either. No, not all.

"Thought…" Billy had to clear his throat, because, of course, he had to. He was surprised he even had a voice. "Thought you would like to actually have your bed for yourself for a few hours.", Billy finished with a weak smile. "Thanks for… for letting me crash, by the way. Awfully nice of you, Harrington."

Being called by his last name, Steve's face crumbled although Billy couldn't pin down the reason. Only that calling him Steve or pretty boy felt way too fucking intimate right now. He couldn't bring himself to do it. "I… yeah, no problem, man. More than enough space here, right?", Steve said, putting on a weak smile. Yeah, that was obviously a big fucking lie. Steve also sat up now and Billy moved half a step closer to the door. This was some pretty dangerous territory here. Because Billy's dick had been pretty fucking close to that pretty ass not even two minutes ago. And even though Steve didn't look like he remembered, Billy didn't feel any safer being around him now. "You wanna…"

Billy just looked at him, waiting for a few seconds if maybe Steve would continue his sentence. But Steve was yawning now, turning his hands into fists and stretching his lean body. The worst part was how Billy could still smell him as if this whole room was full of fucking pheromones. Billy could only grind his molars, trying very hard to keep his head straight through all this. While everything he could think of was to just walk over there. To pin Steve down against his mattress and convince him to overthink this whole straight act. 

"You wanna go grab a coffee? Because I could probably use one." Steve was smiling at him now, adorably so. Keeping that frown on was pretty hard for Billy now. It appeared that he was working every single muscle of his face to keep that straight face. Coffee. Of course. Because this was the moment Steve asked him to hang. At the break of dawn and while Billy was still hard. Hard because they had slept in the same bed. It was almost comically funny how oblivious Steve looked at him, unaware of the shouts in Billy's head. No way he could go and grab coffee with Steve… not now.

"Uh… actually…" Billy was scratching the back of his head. He could feel how messy his hair had gotten over the course of the last night. Dammit, he probably looked like an idiot while of course, Steve looked fucking perfect. "I think, I have to pass. Should probably try to get in a few more hours of sleep, you know? Later maybe?" It felt sickening all the way through his guts as Billy watched that cute smile to slowly disappear. But then Billy had way more urgent matters to take care of, than hanging out with that straight boy, alright? At least that was what Billy tried to convince himself of. Even if getting coffee with Steve and talking admittedly sounded absolutely fucking amazing.

Steve was swallowing now. "Sure, yeah, course.", he nodded in quick movements, making a brave face to that turn-down. "Hope, I didn't wake you up. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper actually, probably tossing and turning half the night, huh?" Now he looked at Billy downright apologetic. You sleep fucking perfect, fucking angelic, you stupid boy, Billy wanted to shout at his face. As if that was a thing people did. Tossing and turning more like, rubbing his ass against Billy's dick like he enjoyed it. But that wasn't actually something they should be discussing, should they? Billy suppressed the urge to snort at the comment. He couldn't fight his own blush though. Awesome.

"No, no, it'was the sun actually. Forgot to close the rolling shutters. You're all good, pretty boy.", Billy mumbled. He spoke too fast, forgetting about how he should be calling him Harrington right now. But then, with him already blushing, his cheeks turning a bit darker didn't make that much of a difference. And also, he could really need all the blood in his head that he could get right now.

"Ughh!" There was a groan from the other side of the room. "Would you two assholes please just shut the fuck up? Because I swear, I will make you if you don't!", Laurie said because of course, she woke up due to their talking. She even raised her head now, thereby looking straight at Billy, who was still standing with his body facing towards the door. He felt increasingly awkward in this position. She threw another gaze at Steve, only to meet Billy again, her eyes now narrowed. "You still here?", she asked the obvious. 

Billy felt like he would much prefer right now for the ground just to split open and swallow him whole. There was nothing he could say to her in his defense. Only that sleeping the whole night in Steve's bed hadn't been the worst part so far. And he couldn't really do that, could he?

"I… uh- fell asleep.", Billy mumbled, swallowing down on the hint of guilt in his throat. It wasn't disappearing though.

"We both did.", Steve added like the knight in fucking white armor he was. Billy stared at him in awe for a second. He couldn't quite believe that Steve wasn't pissed at him for doing that.

"Well, I sure would like to do that, too, so could you just leave? Or stay, by all means, but at least stay quiet because I don't even wanna know what time it is...", she buried her face in the mattress again. "Assholes.", she added but it was pretty much muted by the mattress covering her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Sorry. See you later then.", Billy said, tightening his grip on the doorknob.

"Yeah, see you later Billy.", Steve said and then he was lying back down, too, pulling his blanket up, right to his chin.

Laurie let out another groan. This was most likely due to them not quite meeting her silence requirements yet. Billy looked at them for another moment, before he took his opportunity to flee the scene.

As soon as Billy stepped onto the hallway, he shut the door behind himself. Letting out a loud and long sigh, he leaned back against it. A few deep breathes later, he started looking left and right. He wanted to make sure his little walk of shame wasn't drawing any unwanted attention. But he was good. The hallway was as clear as it could be which was no surprise at this time of day.

He started fumbling for his keys couldn't find them. For a moment, he fell into a state of blind panic. He thought he must have lost it in Steve's bed. But then he finally detected it in his back pocket and let out another sigh quite like the first one. With shaky fingers, he didn't lose any more time to unlock the door. And he was very fucking glad to find that Tommy wasn't home. 

With no eyewitnesses, Billy didn't even hesitate. He started to undress in the shared bedroom. But he wanted to move this to the showers because it stroke him for slightly less desperate to jerk off in there. Especially, taking into consideration that he desperately needed a shower for many reasons. Not only to clear off the evidence after.

Billy already felt relief when he opened up the button of his ridiculously tight jeans. Even more when he pushed them down over his hips feeling his cock finally springing free. Billy tugged it a few times even before he reached the bathroom. He was closing his eyes as he did, bracing himself against the nearest wall by his forearm. Wow, he was closer already than he had thought. Which, of course, was nothing but embarrassing. He shouldn't be this hard over rubbing his dick over another guys ass. Even if the other guy smelt like heaven. But especially if the other guy was Steve fucking Harrington.

The dorm room showers were shit. They needed forever to reach an even bearable temperature. Billy turned them on anyway. That he was feeling terrible and he reeked of booze was helping. So he felt like he kinda deserved the near to ice cold water hitting the back of his head. It was causing this stinging kind of headache, he sometimes got in the winter. Most likely because he was always refusing to wear a cap or a beanie. In the end, the water warmed up soon enough though. Billy could feel the steam starting to fill the air and causing him to sweat again. But he was too busy grunting and groaning, trying to bite down on most of the noises while he was fucking into his fist.

Now, jerking off usually was a means to an end even to begin with. But today Billy wasn't even close to actually enjoying it. Not while he was still feeling like a giant fuckup for downright molesting a friend.

But of fucking course, his mind didn't even allow him to properly hate himself in peace. For every time he was touching himself, he was drifting more into picturing the scene, he left minutes ago. It was like the soft curve of Steve's ass was still there. Soft under his palm or deliciously firm against his cock. And Billy couldn't forget about the amazing scent. How warm and soft and cozy that bed had been. And then Steve had been moaning. Curving his spine, to press against him some more, almost like he was enjoying this as much as Billy. Like he really wanted this. What if waking up hadn't saved him there? What if he had sneaked a hand under Steve's shirt, feeling over his soft tummy? Or allowing it to wander down, below the waistband of his jeans and his briefs? What if he was touching Steve's dick instead of his own right now? What if Steve had moaned some more, encouraging cheeky touches? Billy could have found the encouragement dip a finger between his cheeks. Touching Steve in a way he was most likely never touched before. Fuck…

Billy was downright panting now, his chest flush and his forehead sweaty in the steamy room. The worst part was that Billy could already tell that this was something he would be jerking off now from now on. No wonder it had taken him that long to realize where he was when Steve had felt like a goddamn fucking wet dream. Sounded like one, too. Billy grunted and squeezed his dick a bit firmer. He could feel his legs shake and get all wobbly while heat was pooling up in his guts. A few more twists of his wrist and he was holding onto the cold and wet well beside him with his left hand, as he was coming, spurting all over the shower.

It took a while for him to catch his breath after that. Only after he felt the water cooling down, he then reached for his shower sponge. He started to rush into washing off this stale feeling from last night's party. Of course, right now he had no trouble remembering all the bullshit that had happened. Getting head from Ian. Almost fighting with Laurie. And, of course, the sight of Steve Harrington, sitting there surrounded by pretty girls. And still that boy wasn't hesitating for even a second before he allowed Billy to carry him home and into his bed. God, Steve really needed to get his game straight. Billy wouldn't have left. Okay, maybe he would have left if Steve had begged him with his big brown eyes but comparing those situations wasn't fair. Steve wasn't feeling the same towards Billy as it was the other way around. And a friend taking you home instead of hanging out with a bunch of willing girls? Billy knew what he would have done there. The only explanation that made sense to him now was that Steve had been super fucking shitfaced. And now Billy only felt more like an asshole for taking advantage over it. No matter, how inviting the bed-sharing offer might have sounded last night. He should have left. He should have left right after he had delivered Steve to his bed and that was a fact. Because now, what was he even supposed to do? How could he not to think about Steve's sleepy moans whenever they were talking to each other? How was he supposed to even look at him? Every time he would remember how his clothed body had felt under Billy's touch. They had been pretty much cuddling all night. Hell, it was hard enough to listen to him sometimes. To watch those pink lips, knowing exactly how they felt pressed against his own. So fucking soft…

Billy took another moment even when the shower spray was so cold it stung. He just wanted to make sure he had cleaned up after himself. That there was no spunk left on the bathroom tiles. Only then, he was stepping out of the shower and wrapped a clean towel around his waist. 

Usually, he would spend a long moment in front of the mirror. Fixing himself. His hair. But he was pretty sure he couldn't stand his own face today. So instead of basic self-care, he headed right back into his bedroom. his own bed was sitting there, of course, un-fucking-touched as if it was trying to mock him. He still laid down on top of it, kind of had to anyway. Because it was not like he could go for a coffee with Steve now. Which was maybe the worst part. But wasn't everything on this heavenly Monday morning? Billy groaned. Right now Steve could be smiling at him from time to time, chatting all excited about the party. If only Billy hadn't fucked up this badly.

But, Billy shouldn't even want this to begin with. He shouldn't want to get coffee with Steve and chat and fucking smile. Because he clearly enjoyed how this felt like a date when it wasn't. He shouldn't wish to deepen a relationship that in the end would only fuck him up some more. It wouldn't lead anywhere. And even if he hadn't this morning, at some point Steve would figure out what was going on inside of Billy's head. Billy was sure about that. Steve would figure out that his friend had like this giant crush on him. And Billy wasn't sure he could handle the change in his face when he did. In his eyes. Instead of them being all open and honest and so fucking deep, he imagined restraint and wariness. Which was fair. Because Billy hadn't been honest with him. But he wasn't sure he would take this change very well. Getting close only to lose all this again. It hurt even to think about it. Cursing under his breath, Billy was punching his fist against the wall next to him. He could feel the rough surface scratch up his knuckles a good bit. Good, he thought. Only that for this mess he deserved so much worse.

Billy managed to fall back asleep at some point though. And that wasn't too surprising considering that it was still pretty early. He had stayed up forever last night. After a good orgasm, he usually had no trouble to drift off. He had no class until the early afternoon, too, so he should get some use out of that. Also, there was like no chance he could be getting coffee on his own right now, that felt like a fucking betrayal.

Around noon then, he was getting ready to leave, books shoved into his backpack. He looked at Laurie's and Steve's door, wishing that he could walk inside and talk to her about what happened. But he had the feeling that she would feel just as weird about this as he did. And he couldn't bear things changing between her and Steve any more than with Steve and himself. So, his only option appeared to be manning up and swallowing down on all this shit in his head. As long as Steve had really been asleep this morning and Billy still wanted to believe that, the had already dealt with the worst parts. Billy could focus on school instead and to speak of that, he should definitely get going if he didn't want…

"Hargrove?" 

Feeling almost caught redhanded there, Billy stumbled to the side. He turned his head to look towards the kitchen area where he had heard Laurie call him. Wow, judging by the wicked grin on her face he hadn't looked too graceful there, almost falling on his ass. Laurie was standing in the doorframe that separated hallway and kitchen. The next thing Billy noticed was the smell of something being fried in there. More out of curiosity than anything else, Billy turned and walked towards her. He was hurrying because he didn't have too much time on his hand before his first class was starting. 

"What's going on?", he asked, weirded out when the sound of someone cooking became more noticeable. He followed it and the smell and immediately raised both brows.

"Stevie is making me breakfast.", Laurie announced, looking over her shoulder. "Isn't that right?", she pointed at Steve now. But Billy had already seen him by then, standing in front of the stove, wearing a tight white shirt and pajama pants. 

Steve looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. He also greeting Billy with a raised spatula next, not quite meeting his eyes though. Great. If that wasn't a good sign. Billy felt his insides twist a little but he went along with it, working hard to not have his eyes linger on the other boy's body. At least not long enough for Laurie to notice or worse comment on it.

"You want some? Smells great, doesn't it?", Laurie asked. Billy hadn't expected her in a mood like this especially after being half-way into a fight last night.

"Must warn you.", Steve said, gaze straight into the pan in front of him. It looked like he was flipping something over right now and judging by the way his shoulder and back were twitching, he was struggling with that. Billy imagined stepping behind him. He would be resting his hands on Steve's hips for a moment before showing him how to panfry whatever it was he had there. But, yeah, stupid idea. "I'm a way better baker than I'm a cook. Don't even know if that's edible, to be honest. Also...", he chuckled. "I'm not sure, I've ever been this hungover."

Laurie was still smiling, not even adding a sarcastic comment to that. Billy assumed this meant that they were on good terms again. So he smiled, too.

"I'll grab coffee on campus then.", Billy said as a lame excuse. He was still looking at Laurie who was eying him a little suspecting now.

Steve didn't reply anything to this and Billy was already itching to get out of there. This was weird. This was definitely weird because even though those weren't the same pants, Billy had been pretty close to that ass this morning. Touching over those curves, palm feeling up the fabric to get an idea of what was hidden underneath. Not to speak about the way Steve had pressed his ass against him a few hours ago. So yeah, watching Steve wasn't a good idea right now. For his own sanity, Billy was pretty eager not to have another guilt-driven jerk-off session today, not if he could avoid it.

"Uh, bye.", Billy mumbled, turning straight around. 

But Laurie was faster than he expected, calling out a 'wait!'. Next thing, she had him pinned against a wall next to the door. Billy could still see half of Harrington so this wasn't a much better position. But Laurie's worried expression was keeping him pretty occupied. 

"Hey…!", Billy complained, not trying a lot to shake her off. 

"What's going on?", she hissed, making sure Steve couldn't hear her.

"Nothing.", Billy said through gritted teeth. He couldn't look into her eyes though so he was pretty sure she wouldn't buy it. 

"Come on. I thought that's what you wanted. Sleeping in his bed. How was it?"

Billy wasn't sure if by this she was only mocking him or asking out of curiosity. "It was... nice."

She snorted. Okay, so no curiosity. "You asshole. Don't fucking lie to me. You slept in his bed and now you completely lay off of flirting with him? And he's acting super weird, too. Something happened, so tell me, what is it? He threw up on you."

"No.", Billy said, a little too fast. "Nothing happened. All… Everything's fine.", he said, hardly sounding convincing. 

Laurie tilted her head. "So, you want me to ask him about it?", Laurie asked.

"No!", Billy said, even quicker this time. If there was anything he didn't need it was for someone to refresh Steve's memory of that morning. Because if there was even a chance, Steve didn't remember Billy's dick pressed up against him Billy wanted to take it.

"Talk then.", Laurie gave him an option. 

"Later. After class. I tell you then, okay?" Billy knew how wide his eyes were, how pale he was and he hoped she would go for this. Because no way, he could be talking right now. For Christ's sake, he could still see Steve!

"Oh, you better.", Laurie said, but her face softened a little. Then she took a step back, releasing Billy.

"You guys alright?", Steve asked. He had turned around now, noticing the two of them standing there up against a wall.

"Just peachy.", Billy grumbled.

"Don't listen to him, he's a bad sport.", Laurie said, smiling. "Now, don't you need to get going?", she looked at Billy.

"Uh, yeah.", Billy nodded. 

"Later, Hargrove. And say hi to Ian from me, will ya?", Laurie said with a smirk. Billy only half noticed how Steve's face hardened up behind her. He was most likely a bit embarrassed about last night even though he wasn't the one who had hugely fucked up. Getting shitfaced at a party is why you went there in the first place. Ending up in your friend's bed almost sober was way worse.

"I… yeah, will do.", Billy agreed.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

With all the bullshit going on in his life lately, it wasn't unexpected for Billy to forget about some things. Like for example how he shared most classes at the beginning of the week with Ian. So when his almost-boyfriend showed up to take a seat next to him, Billy almost spat out the disgusting brown sludge they called coffee here on Campus. Ian was also smiling brightly so Billy made a brave face and did the same. And he almost fell off the seat in surprise when Ian leaned in to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. Was that what they were doing now?

"Careful there.", Ian warned with a smirk.

"It's just… I'm… thanks.", Billy mumbled, holding onto his pen as if it was baring any security. "Good morning.", he added because that was what people said, right?

"Morning?", Ian raised a brow. "I mean it was quite late yesterday but on my clock, it's after lunchtime."

"Oh, uh… just got up, so I haven't quite caught up yet, I guess.", Billy said. He didn't even convince himself with that lame excuse though.

"How'd you sleep?", Ian asked. Billy looked towards the podium. The prof should be already standing but apparently, this guy was running late. Awesome. 

"Good, I guess.", Billy mumbled. He was trying to regain more control over his face before he looked at Ian again. But that didn't turn any easier when Ian planted a hand on Billy's knee as if it were nothing. "Why?"

"Thought, you might have been… you know… cold there, all by yourself." There was a crooked smirk on Ian's face. And while this was obviously him trying to flirt, Billy only felt more like an ass. Especially considering the very obvious lack of cold to be found in his night.

"Uh-", Billy cleared his throat and tried to fight the blush. But, apparently, blushing accompanied every thought of this morning with Steve in bed. He should start getting used to it. "Yeah, you know how it is, right? That whiskey definitely helped with passing out at some point.", he tried for a laugh. Which was even worse than his weak attempts at smiling.

"Yeah.", Ian licked his lips. "Must say, the party started to kinda suck after you left.", he tilted his head. "Even thought about calling you, but… you know how it is." He shrugged. Now it was Ian who let his gaze drift to the side and Billy was scolding himself again.

"Sorry 'bout that.", he said. "I just couldn't have let Laurie take care of that mess all by herself. And Steve wasn't really corporative, to begin with. Wasn't easy to take him back to the dorms."

"Funny, because he looked very eager to leave once you asked him to.", Ian said. Billy tried to read his face and strangely it didn't look like he was trying to pick a fight. So Billy had no idea what to do with that statement. He was good at fighting. Comforting or even talking? Not so much.

"Oh… Yeah, he's a bit afraid of Laurie, I guess. And honestly, I can't blame him, She was fucking pissed after all that. Bitching about it all night. You know how girls can get."

"All night?", Ian's eyes widened.

"Well, until we got him to his bed.", Billy lied. For a second he thought about telling the truth. This could be a good opportunity to end things with Ian and go back to normal, whatever that meant. But the way Ian looked at him right now made that pretty much impossible. Billy already felt enough like an asshole. He didn't want a breakup fight to add to it. Also, he was still pretty sure they hadn't agreed on anything that made this a boyfriend situation. So there should be no need for a talk like that. But then, Billy still felt Ian's lips on his and the way he looked at him didn't feel too casual either. Trust Billy, to make a mess out of everything, huh?

"O-kay.", Ian said, stretching the word a little. "You know… after you left, I was kinda thinking that maybe you wanted to get away, you know? Like texting your friend to give you an alibi. Heard that people sometimes do that."

Billy swallowed. "Oh- uh, yeah that's not really my thing, you know? If I wanna leave, I usually just do that. Trust me, if Laurie hadn't shown up, I would have stayed there with you until the break of dawn." He smirked. "T'was fun.", he added because this felt a little too sappy for his liking. Especially considering his own very obvious lack of feelings for this guy.

Ian's face still warmed up and then he nodded. "So we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool.", Billy nodded. And then, right when it looked as if Ian might say something else, the door pushed open. Their very exhausted looking prof was walking in. He was looking at his students as if his delay was somehow their fault. Immediately starting to talk about numbers and stuff, it felt like he tried to make up for the missing time. Billy was very glad to have an excuse to turn towards his desk and for Ian to take his hand off his leg. 

During the lecture, Billy still felt Ian's leg pressed against his every now and then. Or he saw a smile out of the corner of his eyes. But that wasn't a real problem. The only thing keeping Billy from paying as much attention to this as he should, was the memory of Steve. And he wasn't even there. Billy knew that he was up for some big trouble. Even though for now he could at least blame his fluster and blush on Ian's touches. The other boy would most likely like that. Like the idea of Billy flustering while Billy wasn't thinking of him if a not forced by a bold touch.

After class, Billy was urging for a quick excuse. But since Ian was blocking the only way out of his row, there was really no chance for that. Especially since they also shared the next class. Billy was browsing his mind, trying to come up with something. He wasn't quite in the mood to continue their conversation. Especially when Ian still wanted to discuss last night. By now, Billy had also finished this abomination called coffee. So he couldn't even pretend being occupied. He almost thought about calling Laurie but that came pretty close to what Ian had accused him of earlier. Also, Laurie didn't like getting calls and would most likely be pissed.

 

"Wanna walk over together?", Ian asked after he had stuffed his notes into his backpack. "If we hurry, we could get some coffee at this new place."

"If what they're selling is any better than this shit, then I'm down.", Billy agreed. Now, he might be weak for changing his stance in this for the promise of good coffee. But that might also be something to be occupied over rather than just... talk. 

Walking next to Ian wasn't as weird as Billy would have expected it. It was even kind of nice to get some attention actually. A few guys he knew and girls he'd hooked up with were looking at him across hallways but that was fine. Nothing that wasn't to be expected when someone who loved to publicly announce ho opposed to dates he was, starts going on dates. And then got greeted with a sweet kiss in class. This wasn't doing anything in favor of his reputation. Billy thought though perhaps Ian would be down so some more heated making out later because that was more like Billy's style. And if that dating what he was doing he might as well try getting a little advantage for himself out of it.

"Wait, I'll pay.", Billy offered when Ian wanted to pay the tired cashier lady of this coffee place. It had been a ten-minute walk to get here, or even less. Still, until then Steve had no idea this place even existed. But it smelt like ground coffee beans and that was nothing but promising. "And I take another one but black, please.", Billy added his own order. He watched Ian while he stuffed his wallet back into his pocket, smiling at Billy.

"Thanks.", he said. Like he really meant it. And Billy felt good. Probably because that happened when you did nice things. 

"No problem." Billy grabbed both of their cups and gave Ian his once they were stepping back into the sunlight. He stretched for a moment, rolling his shoulders. Even if his night had been nothing but comfortable, they still were a little cramped in Steve's bed. So rolling his shoulders back and forth gave his back some well-needed release. "Owe you something for making sure I'm staying caffeinated, you know?" He winked at Ian, the sunlight helping with his mood.

Ian smirked and then sipped at his almond milk coffee. "So, I've been kinda wanting to just ask you this since the party, um…", Ian mumbled in that coy voice. "So, what is your stance on making out publicly? You know, some gays like to keep stuff like that behind closed doors and… Honestly, you looked kinda freaked when I kissed you earlier. Just wanted to make sure, you were alright before I do anything that makes you uncomfortable." Ian swallowed, staring at him as if he expected Billy to punch him or leave him standing after this. 

And Billy tried his best not to choke on his coffee. "Bi.", he said like a mantra he felt like he was cursed to repeat whenever he hooked up with other guys. "And yeah, no, not opposed to publicly making out at all, so…?" Billy let the sentence just stand there, unsure of where he actually wanted to take it in the first place.

"Yeah, sounds about right.", Ian grinned. While keeping an innocent look in his eyes, he took another sip of his coffee. "We should probably get to class, huh?"

Billy eyed him a bit suspiciously but then he just shrugged and agreed. Walking next to Ian while, to his surprise, appreciating the taste of this coffee, Billy felt... better. Usually, Billy was kind of a snob when it came to coffee flavor. And even though this place came nowhere near his preferred coffee house, it was fine. Like actually enjoyable which was nice for a change, for sure.

He emptied his coffee cup before they reached the next classroom. Billy dumped it into the nearest trash bin before he noticed that Ian was waiting for him. There was still a smile on his face and Billy wondered if he might be the cause for it. While biting on his inner cheek, Billy came up with a smile, too. Testing new territory here. It wasn't as hard as he had expected it to be. And way better than overthinking or even discussing his early morning madness. 

"God, I hate this guy.", Ian mumbled under his breath as they took a seat next to each other in their next class. There was a girl standing in front of the teacher's desk. She was keeping this guy too occupied to pay attention to anyone else, at least to Billy's assessment. Billy wondered how much influence a bit of cleavage and some lash batting had on some of the degrees in this class. But since he usually got along quite well even without getting his flirt on, he didn't worry over this too much. "But who am I talking to.", Ian joked when Billy didn't answer. "Not like you suffer from that injustice."

"Hm?"

"Don't pretend like your not acing this class, Mister.", Ian winked at him.

Billy smirked at that. "Come on, your getting along quite well, too.", he said, hoping that it was right. Out of his head, he couldn't tell how anyone in this class was doing because frankly, he didn't care too much.

"If by getting along well you mean writing straight Cs even with hours of studying, then, yeah.", Ian huffed. "What's your secret, man? You're not blowing him, are you? Because if there's any chance he's into guys, I'm gonna do something about that." Billy noticed that Ian was only half joking with that statement.

"No secret really.", Billy shrugged. "Just really good with numbers, I guess. Also, I bet if you would really get to it with him, he'd be giving you A's, too. Give better head than any of those cows for sure." He smirked.

"Thanks.", Ian said, a bit uncertain of how to take this compliment. "Did you like… have sex with all of them?" He looked around now. His eyes then lingering on a pretty brunette with freckles that was sitting three rows in front of him.

"No.", Billy said, which wasn't a complete lie because he hadn't slept with ALL of them. "It was more generally spoken. Because you're pretty good at it and usually girls give terrible head, is all.", he bluffed it out. 

"Oh.", Ian said, expression softening up a bit now. "Well, it's not that I would know."

"What?", Billy was grinning now. "Never had a girl blow you while you were still figuring things out? Pretending it was the dude you got the hots for?"

"Nah.", Ian shrugged. "I've been keeping it straight since the beginning. Or rather not so straight. Just guys for me.", he explained.

Billy didn't know what to answer to this. So instead, he looked at their teacher once more. The guy was now smiling at the girl in front of him who was at least thirty years younger. But then, Billy was pretty sure he didn't actually bang any of the girls because that would be pretty fucked up. But he didn't mind them using their looks to their advantage.

"Hey, do you get home after this or?", Ian pulled him out of this thought.

"I… no idea. Maybe a bit of studying?", Billy shrugged. "Depends. If I get hungry, I probably head home. Maybe skip later, it's not like I need attendance."

"Honestly, we should study together sometime.", Ian said. "I really need to know what you do. I bet half of this class would pay good money for your notes."

"We could… uh, yeah, do like a study date or something.", Billy nodded half-heartedly. Studying in groups had never been his thing. Not even with only one study partner.

"Yeah, but maybe with a couple of others so… you know… we'd actually get some work done.", Ian grinned. "Could do it at your place. And maybe I stay afterward, reward you properly for your time.", he purred. He was leaning his head closer to Billy now, who couldn't hide the blush. People talking so close to him always got him a little riled up.

"Yeah.", he nodded, picturing that. Billy sitting on the edge of his bed with notes all over the place. With Ian on his knees sitting between Billy's legs, going for it.

"Maybe Laurie and Steve?"

Billy coughed because adding Steve to his little day-dream was doing him no favor. "Mhm.", Billy closed his eyes trying not to focus too much on the hot breath right against his ear.

It was the sound of a big book being dropped onto a wooden table coming right from the front that separated them. It also brought their attention back to the teacher who was about to start class now. It was about time for that, Billy thought because he was sporting a semi again. But Ian hadn't noticed so he should be good until the end of class.

Now with some of his blood actually returning to his head, Billy could only frown. Studying with Ian, Steve and Laurie sounded like a terrible idea! And not only because Laurie hated everything that had to do with school. Billy swallowed. Okay. Fine. He would deal with that later or just hope for Ian to forget about this request. Shouldn't be that hard.

After class, Billy decided against his better judgment and he didn't run off as soon as he got the chance. Instead, he waited for Ian to pack up his things by when most of the class had cleared up anyway. To not appear as if he didn't care about stuff, Billy reached for his chin with a hand and then guided him into a kiss. This one was a little less sweet as the one they had shared earlier. Ian tasted like coffee which Billy liked. There was also a faint hint of mint which was nice. Ian returned the kiss oh so eagerly, Billy almost got lost in it. 

"You know, if you'd ask me now, I would be happy to come to your room with you.", Ian purred. "Continue where we left off."

Billy looked at him for a moment. Ian looked like someone for whom actually having sex would be a huge deal. And since Billy was still pretty sure he wasn't in for the long run, that might not be the smartest thing to do.

"Later.", Billy said, trying for a soft voice. "After this, I think I really should going to the library." The class hadn't been hard. Not by any terms. He still hoped that Ian would believe his obvious lie.

"Lots of things you can do there, too, you know."

"Oh, I know.", Billy smirked because he liked the sound of that, even if that wasn't helping. "But I should probably just stick my face into a book though. See you later?"

"Yeah.", Ian finally caved and then he leaned in to kiss Billy once again. "Later." Was that a promise or a threat now? Billy wasn't sure.

He grabbed his backpack and left a bit bummed that now he had to at least spend some time in the library. He didn't want his lie to get busted anytime soon.   
\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   
Approximately half an hour into a boring book Billy had already read, his phone was ringing. The librarian, of course, threw him an angry glare because he should know better. But Billy was just glad for this chance to step out of the library and light himself a cigarette. He wasn't quite on time to answer the call but he was able to see that it was Laurie, so he called her back right away.

"How about you answer your goddamn phone for once, asshole?", she grumbled. Billy chuckled when she added: "Getting it on with Ian again or what's keeping you occupied?"

"Actually quite the opposite.", Billy mumbled, a few wads of smoke leaving his lips as he skipped away some of the ash. "Library. Sorry, couldn't answer sooner. Almost got me kicked out there."

"So, you're on Campus?", Laurie said, her initial grudge forgotten.

"Yeah, of course.", Billy said. "Why?"

"I'm kinda here early and thought we could get coffee or whatever. Or I could bump a smoke from you." She was lowering her voice as if she was walking through a place where people could be listening.

"Sure. Where are you?" 

Laurie coming to Campus early was definitely suspicious. But Billy decided not to ask about that on the phone. She would only deny that this was odd and then she wouldn't talk about it at all. If he wanted a more truthful answer, he needed to act more tactical on this.

"Getting coffee. Let's meet in front of the library, yeah?"

"Sure, let me gather my stuff, first. Meet you here in ten.", Billy agreed and then he hung up.

Billy had left everything as it was when the phone call disturbed his little study session. So his stuff still laid there, uncollected, the books not returned to their place. So he got back inside, still watched with narrowed eyes by the librarian. He gave her a smug grin until she blushed and went on with the work on her desk. If there was anything Billy had learned in his time here at college it was not to fuck things up with certain people. Some of them being your barista and your librarian. Because you needed to be on good terms with both of them to succeed here. And if that meant shamelessly flirting with the finicky elder lady behind the counter from time to time to make up for stupid behavior, so be it. 

After he had collected his backpack and returned his books, he went back outside. It surprised him that Laurie was actually already there. He worried she might have brought some of that disgusting coffee with her. But it turned out, what she had was actually drinkable. Instead of talking too much, at first they just kept standing there. Pretty much in front of the old library, sipping coffee and smoking. Billy felt a bit lost in thought and it appeared to him that it was the same with Laurie. 

"What's going on?", Billy asked finally. He had finished a cigarette by now.

"Told you, you still owe me a bunch of answers.", Laurie reminded him. But it didn't seem like this was the reason for her being her. Or even for her meeting him.

"Yeah, but usually that isn't enough of a reason for you to leave the dorm." 

Laurie snorted. "I'm a student here, too, asshole."

"Oh, are you now?" He raised a brow.

"Okay, fuck you! Maybe I had a date and he ditched me, alright? Let's not make a fuss about it because I feel like punching someone already." 

"Who?", Billy asked.

"You, if you keep asking stupid questions."

"I mean the guy who ditched you."

"You don't know him. It's… kinda new."

"Huh.", Billy said, feeling like lighting himself another cigarette. "When did you guys meet."

"Here. In class actually.", Laurie said, avoiding his gaze. "Also, this isn't about my dating life. It's about yours, so, are you gonna tell me what that was about with Steve this morning?"

"You won't buy it when I tell you, nothing's wrong now, will you?"

"Not a chance.", Laurie clarified. "Why are you two acting so weird? 

Billy swallowed.

"Spit it out, now? What's going on between the two of you?"

"We're not-", he stopped when he noticed how she was narrowing her eyes. "How d'you even know that?"

"Because you two assholes are acting absolutely weird around each other?" Of course, she phrased that as something that was absolutely obvious. "What now?"

"Shouldn't have slept in his bed is all.", Billy mumbled through gritted teeth. Why was it that even if he had a reason to ask her about stuff, this ended up the other way around?

"Pardon?"

"Yeah, fuck you too, you were right, okay? Fucking stupid idea!" He raised his voice a bit. "Now things are weird and fine, I guess that's what I get for not listening or for acting stupid or whatever. I get it so you don't need to get into it, alright?"

Her gaze softened a little and she let out a sigh before she stepped closer to him. And then, she pulled him into her arms into what felt like a hug? Or she could be trying to squeeze him to death. Billy wasn't quite sure yet.

"What are you doing?", he asked with a raised brow before he hugged his arms around her, too. 

"Hugging you, dumbass. But you're right, we're not people who hug.", she said, letting go soon enough. "You looked like you needed one of those though." A weak smile on her lips. "It's gonna be alright. He knows you did him a favor. You were both drunk. Nothing happened. He won't hold it against you."

Billy avoided her direct gaze.

"Nothing did happen, right?", she asked to clarify.

Billy still kept quiet. Fuck...

"Hargrove, I swear... Talk. Now!"

"Fuck…", he groaned, this time saying it out loud. "Fine! I woke up and well, maybe it took a moment until I knew whose bed I was in. And maybe by now, I was already hard as fuck. And his ass pressed right against me so..." Another groan left his lips while Laurie's eyes widened with every word. Great. As if he didn't feel like this was weird enough...

"Was he awake?", she asked.

"I don't know.", Billy looked directly at her. "Moaned and shit. Almost creamed my fucking pants like a teenager, I swear."

"Fuck.", she said.

"Uh-huh-", Billy agreed. If that wasn't a thing he had thought all day... "And when I finally weaseled out of that bed and got to the door, he woke up. And... I don't know, I think he just woke up and he asked me to get coffee but. I was still sporting a giant hard-on so I got out and to my own room…"

"You were hard when you two woke me up?"

"Laurie...", he groaned.

"Also, I've seen it. It's not that big.", she teased.

The desperate expression on Billy's face changed into something half amused and half annoyed. Maybe talking to her wasn't too bad after all. At least he felt like talking helped.

"What? So I'm not the biggest you've ever had?", he returned, reminding her of her generic phrasing the first time they did it.

Laurie's smirk widened.

"You didn't seem to mind anyway.", Billy concluded. "But... there was no way he wouldn't have noticed when he was awake."

"Well, morning wood isn't unusual."

"Yeah, but when it happens pressed against another guy it somehow fucking is. And getting wood from another guy for the first time is always weird. It was weird for me and I like dick, so, what is he supposed to think in a situation like that?"

"Well, did he look freaked out?"

"Not really. He looked tired and a little upset when I wouldn't get coffee with him. Made me feel like an ass about it…", he admitted.

Laurie sighed. "You know, you're an idiot, right?"

Billy blinked. He felt more like an asshole but he was sure she had a point with that. 

"He has no idea what happened. Stop acting weird and things will be alright, Jesus Christ!", she rolled her eyes again. "Anyway... You've seen your boyfriend today?"

"Actually I did.", Billy said, after letting that sink. "You sure about that?"

"The idiot thing? One hundred percent. No doubt about it."

"I'm talking about Steve.", Billy said.

"He was chatting with me this morning. About how he feels a bit embarrassed about all and he should. But he didn't mention your dick with any word so I'm sure you're fine. Now, what about Ian?"

Billy looked at her for a moment before he sighed. "We share a bunch of classes. Greeted me with a kiss this morning - afternoon."

"He's too nice for you."

"Everyone is.", Billy shrugged. "But I feel like I should end this soon-ish. Not in the mood for this to turn complicated too."

"Feels like you missed the right time for that already but, by all means, try." She chuckled and then finished the last sips of her coffee.

"Yeah, yeah, you make fun of this.", Billy rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I deserve to make all the fun. Not only I was ditched, I also warned you about sleeping in Steve's bed and you ignored me like an ass."

"Yeah, sounds like me..."

"But how was it? Sleeping in his bed, cut the weird wakeup."

"Cozy? Amazing? Made me realize how my own bed sucks and it's the only place I ever want to sleep in from now on?", Billy tried for answers. 

"Oh, you're so gone with this boy.", Laurie chuckled. "It's sad and cute and I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel about it. Well, but maybe that's all going to resolve itself after all. Because I'm pretty sure he's in contact with that Nancy chick again. Sneaking around and making phone calls. Staring at his computer screen. I'm pretty sure he thinks he's super sneaky but he's actually pretty obvious." She rolled her eyes.

"And you think it's Nancy?", Billy asked. As if he was feeling any better if Steve was seeing someone else in secret.

"Honestly, who else would it be? He must have gotten at least six new numbers last night without showing interest in even one of those bitches. If you ask me, he still has it bad for his ex and I don't even blame him. But I sure hope she doesn't break his heart again." Laurie sighed.

"Oh, he shouldn't go through this again.", Billy said a bit tortured.

"So, are you gonna stop him? I think, if it comes down to him fucking her or him fucking you, her chances are way better." It sounded cruel but it wasn't like she was wrong.

"It's not like he has only two options.", Billy argued. "Plenty of chicks that would be better for him than this bitch. I'm not even sure what happened and I already hate her.", he grumbled.

"Yeah, because she actually got to bang him.", Laurie snorted.

"No.", Billy said, hesitating. "Because someone else..."

"So that's what you wanna see, Hargrove?", she asked, disrupting him. "Stevie getting hot and heavy with some random girl? Him finally getting some use out of those big romantic eyes?"

"Didn't say that.", Billy said, caving. "But I don't want him broken because she doesn't care about his feelings."

"Look at you, considering feelings and shit. Fuck, you start to become a half-way decent boyfriend, Hargrove. It's only sad your actual boyfriend doesn't get much use out of it."

"He isn't… You damn well know he isn't.", he said, more eager now. How was she always able to hold what he says against him?

"I bet, you already made out today. He gave you a good morning kiss. Screams boyfriend to me."

"Yeah, because I'm a mess and I need to get my head straight." Billy swallowed.

"Have you ever considered actually talking to Steve? Telling him that you have a crush on him? Maybe he laughs it off and there goes all this tension. Could make it easier to be friends after that. For you, I mean. Also for me because I'm not sure how long I can watch you suffer like that."

Billy rolled his eyes. "Or he completely shuts me down because he thinks that I was only ever nice to him because I wanted to get in his pants."

"Yeah, but is that what happened?"

"No... No. I care about him and I don't even know what that shit's supposed to mean."

Laurie sighed. "He could also feel flattered by your attention."

"Or not. But no chance, I'm gonna put it to a test.", Billy decided. 

"Yeah, I get it, I guess. So next time you're about to do something stupid, you want me to drag your drunk ass out of the room then? Forbid you from doing stupid shit?"

"I don't think it would be fair to expect that from you. I'll try to stay low for a bit. No… no weird touching or flirty talking."

"You sure? Because I think he will notice that something's off and that might be the wrong message to send right now. Who knows what he'll think why you're being so distant?"

"As long as it's nowhere near the truth of what happened, I'm actually quite fine with it."

"Come on, even if he did notice, it's not like he freaked out or something. Might be the first time he's gotten wood from someone but, well maybe he liked it. Imagine that."

"He was half asleep.", Billy grunted, not sure he wanted to imagine that again. 

"And what did he do?"

"I don't know… Moan and shit. Arch his back. Could just be my brain running wild though. Felt like a fucking wet dream."

"For real?"

"I wouldn't lie about this.", Billy assured her. 

"Well, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong but maybe he actually did like what happened. I mean, if anything he probably was pretty cozy with you wrapped around him. You run pretty hotly."

"Don't even joke about this, okay?", Billy asked a bit desperate. "Because I feel pretty rapey and I wish I…"

"Jesus, you drama queen!", Laurie rolled her eyes. "You didn't do anything. You were sleeping and you stopped as soon as you were awake. It's fine. You didn't scare him or anything. You didn't deflower him. He's fine, too. Kept warm all night and woke up to a nice surprise. I'd say his night was way better than mine was, so stop worrying about him! And try to start acting normal, will ya? Next time, he's cooking I don't wanna hear any lame excuse. Because he looked sad you left and I'm not there to solace you two all the time."

"Fine, mom.", Billy joked.

"Oh, fuck you, Hargrove!"

Billy smirked. "I'm gonna talk to him. Not… not about this stuff but I'll make sure he knows we're fine. That's the least thing, I can do, I guess."

"You did hear that I just said that you didn't do anything wrong, right?" Laurie looked at him almost disbelieving. "Especially after not listening to me in the first place, you should at least do so now."

"But it's hard to get what you're saying. You always give off such a strong I told you so vibe.", Billy grinned.

"That's it!" Laurie was throwing her hands in the air, exaggerating her annoyance. "I'm not wasting any more free help on you asshole! Try dealing with your shit on your own."

"Sure. As if you ever learned how to keep your mouth shut.", Billy teased.

"Aw, here I was, thinking that this was one of the things you liked about me.", Laurie purred.

Billy's grin grew a little wider. "Thanks, Laurie.", he then said, meaning it.

She rolled her eyes but she was smiling.

"No, I mean it, thank you. I'm an idiot. Should listen to you more often."

"Now, can you say it once more for me to record it?", she joked. "Don't worry though, I'll be happy to remind you from time to time. But speaking of unsolicited advice. Behind you, that might be your boyfriend rushing to get over here."

Billy turned around and for a second he was picturing Harrington coming towards them. Of course, it wasn't and Billy was immediately scolding himself for being so stupid. Ian was coming closer with a shy smile and Billy felt bad for ditching him. But, he had been in the library for quite some time. Also, he hadn't planned on meeting with Laurie, so this wasn't him being a bad friend or boyfriend or something.

"Dammit.", Billy mumbled while Ian was still out of hearing distance.

"Bad?", Laurie asked, stepping beside him and crumbling her empty paper cup.

"Well, let's see." He made a few steps forward to meet Ian there. "Hey.", Billy greeted him, opting for a cheerful smile, hoping there was no spite between them.

"Hey. How was your study session?", he tilted his head. Could be an innocent question. Or a sarcastic comment. Billy couldn't tell by looking into Ian's eyes.

"Good until this one interrupted.", Billy pointed at Laurie.

Luckily, she played along with it. "Guilty.", she looked apologetic, raising both her arms. "Boyfriend trouble. You probably get it."

"Look at you being all nice.", Ian said, looking at Billy. "So, you're going to class or are you taking your friend out instead?"

Billy hesitated because he wasn't sure he could put down such an easy way out of this situation.

"Oh, he's going to class.", Laurie interrupted his thoughts, putting a hand on his shoulder. "All yours.", she added, winking at Ian. "Later Hargrove." And with that, she strutted away and Billy thought that he probably deserved this one.

They both looked after her until Ian repeated that hey from earlier. So he caught back Billy's attention.

"I was about to call you.", Billy lied. Because.

It felt easier than admitting the truth. Which was that he had been avoiding Ian. Which wasn't fair, to begin with, and he knew that but what was he supposed to do? It wasn't like today, of all days, he had any headspace to deal with all this.

"I was eating with an old friend.", Ian said and Billy wasn't sure what that expression on his face meant. "We haven't talked in a while."

"Oh, sounds nice.", Billy said like he cared.

"Yeah. Though I'm pretty sure he was hitting on me."

Billy's gaze immediately focused because he felt like he'd miss something there. Could be something important. Judging by the look on Ian's face, he was paying pretty close attention to Billy's reaction. Which okay, presumably was fine.

Billy cleared his throat. "So… uh, is he attractive?", he asked, which felt like a mistake.

"Oh yeah.", Ian tilted his head. "I'm sure you could call him that."

Billy watched, careful now. "Is he now?", he said, a little quieter, more to himself.

Ian stepped a bit closer. "Yeah, but he's a bit of an asshole and I have e no idea what the fuck he wants, so." He leaned in close without actually kissing Billy which felt annoying because it made his mouth twitch. "Should go to class, huh?", Ian took a step back again.

Billy watched him, unsure if Ian just wanted to get a rise out of him with this stupid story. Or whether the fact that he succeeded with this held any meaning in it. One way or another it was most likely pretty darn stupid to grab Ian by the waist and pull him into a meaner kiss.

"You're not jealous, are you?", Ian teased, panting against his mouth.

"Not the type.", Billy said, like a liar. He wondered why he was though because it wasn't like he wanted to actually be dating Ian. And he never had any trouble imagining or even watching Laurie hooking up with someone else. But then, the thought of Steve meeting his ex, caused his blood to freeze. And so he kissed Ian a little harder. He was running a hand over his back and the side of his hips that felt brutally different from Steve. 

"Come on, we'll be late, tiger. Continue this after class, huh?"

Billy cleared his throat once again. He was blinking until he wasn't seeing Steve's face anymore. Then he nodded, following Ian to their class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm sorry because this took me so long. Working on three fics simultaneously just seems to mean that everyone has to wait. So yeah, I hope you like this chapter anyway. And if anyone's mourning the lack of Steve in this one, let me assure you that we'll probably have plenty of him when I post next :) Because Billy promised Laurie to talk to him and we'll see how that goes. And I should probably stop talking now but I just edited this mess for the last four and a half hours which was desperately needed and now my brain is a bit melty. Don't mind me! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's commented so far! It means so much to me that you enjoy this story! Feel free to tell me how you liked this chapter or talk to me on Tumblr at Confettibites. <3


	9. Like A Third Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, Billy didn't have any plans for the evening so he was pretty much open for suggestions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

Class was a lot.

Not the actual topic, their prof was talking about, of course. Or at least Billy couldn't be sure about that since he hadn't had the chance to pay any attention to that.

In fact, he hadn't even had the chance to pull out an alibi notebook of some sorts. Or a pen, for Christ's sake! Not before Ian was dropping down in the seat right next to him. The innocent expression on his face managed to fool Billy for about a split second. Now that was before he could feel Ian's hand creeping up his thigh, squeezing the fleshy part of it.

Usually, Billy wasn't at all opposed to getting handsy in class, even though he tended to be the initiator. The only problem was that with Ian, things always felt like they were coming with a catch attached to it. So Billy turned his head, trying to make out what Ian was up to. But he was only met with the other boy pretending to be interested in this class. He was gazing up at the blackboard and their teacher, not drawing any attention to the business of his hand.

Billy gave it about ten, maybe fifteen seconds of watching him, waiting for a reaction. Ian wasn't only avoiding to look at him, he also moved his fingers up up up, thereby forcing Billy to sit back. Swallowing and exhaling, Billy felt Ian's touch on his still at least semi-hard cock. It sent a shiver down his spine and made his eyes fall shut for a moment because he wasn't expecting that at all. To be honest, he felt a blush on his cheeks and was downright relieved, he hadn't let out an embarrassing moan then.

It was very obvious that the touch wasn't only intended as some sort of tease to distract him. Because Ian was going to town there, touching Billy in all the wrong but very right ways. Billy's breath hitched and he looked down. There he was very well able to see how Ian moved his lean fingers along the outline of his hardening dick. Now, a better man would have most likely pushed Ian's hand off of him. In a moment like that and with all the things on Billy's mind? Yeah, he didn't doubt for a second that that would have been the reasonable move. But then, Billy had never claimed the term good man for himself. And he certainly was never one to turn down a free hand job, even if it happened to take place in the middle of class.

Billy spread his legs further. And he wasn't ass embarrassed as he should be for knocking against one of the table legs by accident. He could see heads turning, peers facing them. Hell, he even met the weirded out gaze of a girl a few seats next to them. Billy looked at her for longer than he should have. She didn't seem sure yet whether she felt intrigued to or appalled by what she was seeing. Billy couldn't care less, not with Ian's touches getting more urgent, targeted almost.

But it was almost as if Ian only did this to mess with Billy's mind. Right about when Billy sensed determination there, felt himself getting close, Ian was retracting. The closer Billy was getting, the lighter the touches became. Almost as if Ian was pulling his orgasm right out of Billy's desperate hands, holding it out of reach.

Billy felt his lips getting quite raw from all the biting on it, keeping himself from getting loud. He sunk down further in his seat and hoped Ian would get the hint and do something. Anything.

For a moment, Billy was convinced his tactics had worked. There was a more insistent way in the movements of Ian's fingers, stroking him through the thick denim. God, if only they were somewhere else and Billy wouldn't be trapped in his too tight pair of jeans. Maybe adding some spit to the mix, making it real filthy, the way Billy was craving it right now. Billy's eyes were rolling back as he was focusing on the way Ian was paying attention to his head. Which felt nice, to say the least. Nice enough for Billy to be swallowing down moans. For sweat to gather around his temples and more and more heat to pool up inside of him.

All that, of course, until all the sudden and without any palpable reason, Ian was pulling his hand off and away. Even if he left Billy a fucking mess, he could see how Ian was reaching for a pen and started to scribble down something.

Billy blinked his eyes, confused as hell. He looked up at their teacher who was still rambling about something. The thing was that Billy couldn't make out anything that was worth writing down. At least not like... right now. So. He looked to his side, looked at Ian's face, unreadable as usual. This could also be about something he did or said. Something Billy had done wrong which wouldn't be a surprise to anyone, right? As for right now, it was kind of hard to oppress the urge of reaching down and finishing this himself.

For a few minutes or so, Billy was still convinced, Ian would get back to him. That he would finish what he started. But the more time passed by, the less likely that seemed.

And Billy wasn't sure if he was only annoyed with Ian because he left him so fucking horny. Or much rather if he felt like he deserved a treatment like that.

Still, an explanation would have been nice.

Was Ian still pissed about earlier, now punishing Billy? Could be.

The one time their eyes met, didn't leave Billy any more sure of that. Ian was smiling and Billy had no idea if that was an honest one, not aware of what Billy was going through. Or he was enjoying Billy's suffering.

More than once, Billy was looking at the door, weighing whether he should leave for a bathroom break. To get his head back in the game, focus on class or think about what he should do next.

But class ended earlier than he would have expected. Now that game him a general idea of how long Ian must have been touching and teasing him before.

When the other students started getting up, Ian was beaming at him as if nothing ever happened. Which left Billy more confused than ever before.

Billy wasn't too sure how he should react because he still felt pretty fucking pissed, horny out of his mind. And with no idea about what was happening though that was something he wasn't unfamiliar with.

"Why don't you take me to your place," Ian purred. He was leaning close, returning his hand oh so close on Billy's thigh yet nowhere near where it would feel good.

And to be honest, at that point, Billy would already have thrown him over his shoulder, stomped home and fucked him because he was desperate like that.

He didn't though, swallowed down that feeling and shook his head. He wasn't sure of what he was trying to stay one step ahead from here. Only that it seemed important.

"Not a good time, tonight, uh- I got... I'm meeting someone."

"Who?" Ian was leaning back into his own space, his back flat against the back of the chair.

"A girl from my old school? We scheduled this like ages ago," Billy lied. And not very good either. Like, the number one rule in lying was to sound sure about it, not fucking questioning. Rookie fucking mistake, ugh...

Ian remained skeptical, of course. No wonder, since he was blatantly lied to. "Yeah? Like a date?"

Billy cringed at the phrasing. What was it about people's obsession with dates? By now, he literally only wanted to get home. Alone.

"No. No, we're just friends. Known her like forever." Details, but not too many. Another crucial thing about believable lies.

"You didn't mention her before... What's her name again?"

Now while Billy wasn't new in making up lies, alibis, Ian seemed to have some skill in busting them.

"Uh- it's..." Billy browsed his mind for like the name of an actual friend or a relative. But the only thing he could think of was, "Stev- Stephanie. Friends call her Stephie for short." He felt stupid because that was like the most obvious lie he'd ever told someone. Not surprising that Ian was narrowing his eyes now.

"Huh," Ian said, pausing so Billy could feel real bad. "Yeah, okay. So, we're doing this some other time then, yeah? You showing me your place?"

Billy should have been glad about changing the subject. Only that this one, he'd much rather avoided. Billy felt his heart beating faster. He was not sure anymore of why he was feeling strongly about not taking Ian home. "I haven't seen yours, either," he made a weak excuse.

"You can come over tonight?", Ian tilted his head, obviously trying to get a rise out of him.

"Another time," Billy reminded him.

Billy had almost forgotten about Ian's hand until he sneaked it up a little further. And Billy was biting down on his tongue to not make any sound when Ian gave him a fond squeeze. "Too bad," Ian said.

"Fuck," Billy mumbled. "I- yeah, I wish I could reschedule, but... it's bad timing," he cleared his throat. "But... uh- you wanna take this like to an empty classroom or... closet or?"

It was weak and pathetic and he should get out of there, away from Ian. But then, Ian was still touching him and as much as Billy liked for their interactions to stay casual... He also liked kissing Ian and he liked sex, so. Sue him.

"You got some ideas?", Ian asked, a smirk on his face.

Billy nodded a bit too hasty and-. Well, he didn't even have to pretend to pack up his stuff, since he hadn't unpacked anything in the first place. So all he did was watching Ian do that, eying equally nonexistent notes from this lecture. He wasn't sure what Ian had written down when he stopped touching Billy. But his eagerness to find out was vanishingly low.

  
Their walk to the nearest restroom was rushed and wordless. They didn't share more than a few gazes, silent agreement of where to go.

The designated room was empty, of course, due to the rather late hour. They still got into the booth, for what may be intimacy or something else the white-tiled, sterile room was lacking.

Billy bumped the side right before they were pretty much on each other. There was a sense of desperation in both their touches, the moment the door was locked. In the back of his mind, Billy knew this was wrong because they clearly wanted different things. But right now they both wanted to get off and as deprived as that was, they went along with it.

That didn't mean, it didn't feel weird though.

Billy knocked his head against the hard metal door with his pants around his ankles and Ian's mouth on him. Until Billy pulled him up in favor of more kissing. Kissing Ian was a safe bet, something to calm Billy's mind more than anything else they did together could. That he knew and that couldn't turn bad, right? Ian went along with it, kissing Billy back immediately. This was most likely the time where they had the chance, to turn this into something good. But instead of taking their time and calming things down, they went for the coward's move. Meaning, they traded lousy handjobs until they both broke the kiss to catch their breaths. And at least for Billy, his mind was still unsteady, not even coming had helped with that. The way, Ian's eyes were rushing here and there, unfocused, told him it was the same for him.

Billy watched Ian pull up his pants, wiping his mouth, looking about as unsatisfied as Billy felt. Meaning, apart from the purely physical factor. It was worse seeing that feeling mirrored in Ian's expression. It felt more as if this was all his own fault.

On the other hand, Billy barely recognized himself. Who was this guy, needing honesty and general affection to get off?! Billy wanted to roll his eyes at himself but didn't when he noticed Ian staring at him. Instead, he avoided his gaze like a coward and started to fix his own pants.

When he looked up again, Ian was still watching him, face sporting a blank expression. The only good thing was that Billy couldn't make out a hint of disappointment. Fucked up, how he almost wanted to find it there.

"I-" He should say something right? That's what that gaze on Ian's face must mean. For Billy to say something. "That was nice," he lied. That's what people said in moments like this. Right? Maybe Ian wouldn't know how much of a lie that was... But Billy scowled himself on that idea quickly. Ian had been right there. No chance, he got any more joy out of this, than Billy did. Not with that face, he was making now.

"Uh, yeah sure," Ian nodded, lying right back at him, swallowing something unsaid. "You're alright, aren't you?"

Now that caught Billy off-guard. "Yes, of course, I am," he mumbled, words leaving his mouth hastily, as he stared at the ground. When Ian didn't say anything in return, Billy added, "Maybe, I... Not sure where my head is today, I hoped you wouldn't notice."

At least it sounded better than 'I basically don't have any interest in deepening this relationship but I needed to get off.'. Or 'It's not you but I'm kind of in love with the straight guy who's my best friends roommate.'. Yeah, that wouldn't be helpful.

"You wanna talk about it?", Ian asked like an actual nice guy. It wasn't his fault that right now he was being Billy's worst nightmare.

Billy cleared his throat. "I'm... thanks for offering, but I'm late already. Yeah, I- we wanted to meet like ten minutes ago, so..."

"You better go then," Ian concluded. It seemed as if not holding any grudge while, again, Billy was expecting the opposite.

"I'll call you, okay?", Billy offered. Because he was stupid like that and he felt like having the last word. To give him back some control in this at least.

"Yeah, I'd love that," Ian smiled, half-hearted but enough for Billy to feel terrible about what he'd said.

"Bye," Billy mumbled. He was hesitant before he was cupping Ian's face with one hand and leaning in for one more kiss. Billy closed his eyes, focusing on only that for a moment. Like he owed that. A chance to see what would happen. And it was a nice kiss, it was... it felt good, alright? 10/10 when it came to execution.

It still left Billy careless.

Like, when he leaned back again, looking at Ian from a few inches apart, their lips connected by a little threat of spit. It could have been anybody in front of him. That's how fucked up Billy was. He swallowed when Ian's gaze softened like for him it wasn't this limbo of no feelings and just bodily reactions. Like Billy honestly meant something to him. Billy had no idea how he managed that with the two of them, barely even knowing each other. Sure they'd talked some on their first date but... The one question Billy was trying to answer here was... Why was this thing between them working for Ian when it was so not working for Billy?

He didn't say another thing before he fumbled open the stall and got away. He didn't want to engage in any fucking conversation at that moment, only wanted to get his head clear. So Billy ended up, heading home by foot. He was looking over his shoulder for a few times to make sure Ian wasn't like, watching where he went or something...

Of course, he wasn't.

Because he was a decent dude, while Billy was the lying asshole.

Some things obviously never changed.

Billy wondered though. Whether they could. Change. At least on that matter. Because he was trying, like really trying here. To get lost in some sort of relationship. Or even in casual fucking. To not mourn over Steve Harrington, who was out of reach for him anyway. Was this how it would be now?

Billy had imagined that at one point, he would just see the benefit in a physical relationship. At least in favor of this one-sided affection, he shared with Steve. This fragile friendship that only managed to last because Billy didn't tell Steve how he felt. Like how he really felt about him. Because he was afraid of the change that would happen if he did.

Or the change that wouldn't happen.

And at one point Billy then would have to watch Steve fall in love with a beautiful girl with a kind heart. Or close enough to that. Billy couldn't even imagine one person on this planet deserving Steve. But he could imagine this dorky smile on Steve's face, not heart-broken anymore but in love again. Beautifully so.

Steve wasn't this kind of guy fucking around, enjoying his youth. He wasn't like Billy. Instead, Steve Harrington was this settling down kind of guy. So give or take half a year and then the nice girl at his side would sport a fucking huge stone on her finger. And Steve having spent a fortune on it.

And while Billy would like seeing him happy, it would... sting.  
  
A lot.

If they even would still hang out and be friends by that time. And... Well if they were, maybe Billy would be there when they tied the knot. And Laurie would be pitying him, her face, of course, more 'I told you so' than actual pity.

But she would know.

Billy could imagine how Steve would be so fucking happy. And in a weird and fucked up way, Billy found that this was worth all the suffering in the world.

And he wanted to punch himself in the fucking face for that, too. For thinking about goddamn marriages on his way home like a complete lunatic.

Billy tried his hardest to shake every single of these unbearable thoughts off. He was trying to come up not only with a foolproof plan for the night but also with a waterproof alibi to present Ian. In case of follow-up questions.

So, when he reached the dorms about twenty minutes later, still stressed out, to say the least, he had a plan. For starters, a nice, cold shower and a beer from the community fridge wouldn't do any harm. And he would come up with a few details for his meeting with this supposed friend to give Ian if he'd ask. Or with a plan on how to end things before everything got complicated. Or more complicated.

And, Billy couldn't even remember the last time, he'd been putting that much effort in something. A relationship. Or a lie. Not since he moved out from home. After that, whatever he'd presented to the chicks or dudes he'd fucked and wanted to avoid now was the laziest fucking thing imaginable. And it had worked.

But things like that wouldn't work when he needed Ian to believe him. Though he wasn't sure why he needed him to. Only that he didn't want to think to about it. He needed the effort for now.

Billy ran up the stairs, imagining himself with that girl he'd made up. Stephie. He really was the worst, wasn't he? In another universe right now he could be chilling on a couch with her, eating cheap takeout, talking... It planted a smile on his face. And he wasn't sure if he enjoyed the idea of having company. Or if it all came down to how that girl's image was resembling a certain brunet. Well, he gave a lot of thanks to his subconscious, quickly shaking that thought off, thanks a lot!

Why did his makeshift lie sound way more fucking nice than his actual plans for that evening?

Since Steve Harrington had occupied Billy's mind the whole day from the moment, Billy woke up in his bed, it shouldn't have been that weird to run into him. Like, Billy, by now, should be used to being shit outta luck.

Billy had barely pulled the door open. The one that separated the staircase area from the hallway with the actual dorm rooms. That's when Steve stumbled through there, bumping straight into Billy. And like... if Billy hadn't braced himself a split second before they collided they might as well have fallen down the stairs together. But well, that didn't happen but both of them stopped, looking at each other.

Now, Steve, Steve looked amazing, since he always fucking did. But he also looked a bit thrown off his rhythm, a bit hectic, surprised to see Billy there. For a second, Billy felt as if something was pulling him back in the early morning hours. Where Steve had looked disheveled, more even than he did now. Right after Billy had woken up with his face at the nape of that guy's neck, breathing in his scent. Fingers wandering up and down his lean body, in a way Billy's gaze was lingering now. And there was this big urge in Billy... to reach for the door and flee this scene.

But he didn't.

Laurie had been right.

Somehow, she always was.

And Billy should try the talking approach, at least make sure they were both cool. Cause Billy couldn't stand Steve looking at him even with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Like right now, when Steve looked un-fucking-sure of whether Billy was about to high-five him or punch him in the face. Or more likely, just turn around and leave.

"Hey, Steve, you- you got a second?", Billy asked, scratching the back of his head.

Steve, who'd been looking down the stairs, looked back up now, facing Billy. He wasn't sporting his usual smile but he didn't look like he was mad at Billy. Or scared.

Which was good.

A fucking relief actually.

"Hey," Steve's face lit up after a moment as if he wasn't sure Billy was actually talking to him until then. "Didn't expect you back so soon."

"I...", Billy wanted to start but he paused, thinking about those words. "Why not?" Class was over, so this was when he usually showed up around here...

"Oh," Steve put on a crooked smile. "Laurie said something about how you were busy making something up to Ian, so. Filled in the blanks, I guess I don't even know. I thought you wouldn't come back or I wouldn't see you anyway." He shrugged.

And Billy's mind immediately tried to answer the question of why Steve would ask for him. And why on earth Laurie felt the need to bring Ian into this, fucking hell... Sometimes Billy felt the urge to strangle Laurie and it wasn't even a kinky thing. He gave Steve a deadpanned look until he was able to catch himself again.

"Laurie talks a lot for someone who has no idea what's going on," he grumbled.

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, that might be true. She has an opinion on everything, huh?"

Now that comment helped to soften Billy's gaze. He even managed to come up with a half smile that felt more honest than anything this day.

"Yeah, no, I'm not seeing Ian tonight. We had- We had class together half an hour ago but I didn't feel like hanging out tonight." Lying to Steve shouldn't feel worse than lying to Ian, right?

Steve fully turned to face Billy now, as if he'd changed his plans. Instead of approaching the stairs further, he even took a step towards Billy. "Oh. What do you want then?"

"Hm?"

"You wanted to talk?", Steve reminded him.

"Oh, uh- yeah," Billy nodded, again scratching the back of his head. At least, until he became aware of it and moved his hand back down by force. He felt some anxiety boil up inside him, like, what if things turned weird after all? What if Steve would accuse him of something and then... Well, Laurie had pretty much promised him, Steve had no idea what happened this morning. So. This should be fine? Billy would only make sure, they were still cool. "I just... I've been running off so fast this morning, never checked up if we're still cool, so, -uh. I mean, I didn't quite mean to sleep in your bed all night, so-."

Of course, Billy turned into a mumbling mess, the second he opened his _stupid mouth_.

"It's fine," Steve said. "It's- I asked you to, alright? And I slept pretty well considering how drunk I was, so, there was something right about it, I guess." He smirked and Billy couldn't help but blush. It was less about the things Steve actually said than about the fact that he tried to comfort Billy here. Poor boy. He had no idea such things are wasted on someone like Billy.

"I... I'm glad I could be of service," Billy tried for smug even though it came out little convincing.

Steve was still smiling though. "Bit cramped there though, huh?", he said. "Hope you didn't fuck up your back."

Billy cleared his throat, easily turned into an awkward mess. "Nah, I'm good. Slept at worse places." Now that wasn't a lie. Because now, every other place felt worse. Especially his own bed, cold and empty.

"I don't doubt that," Steve chuckled. "But I bet waking up next to someone else must be way nicer than waking up with me sporting the world's worst hangover. I was probably having a bad case of b.o. from all the shit I was drinking yesterday."

Jesus, If only he knew...

"It was alright," Billy said. It had been easy to play along but he couldn't lie that much. Not when waking up next to Steve had been one of the greatest things ever. At least until it had turned into Billy's worst nightmare.

"Yeah, so...", Steve looked back at the stairs leading down. "We're cool then, I guess. Good talk." This was such a hollow phase usually... Billy had never witnessed this being used in a conversation in a non-sarcastic way.

"You going out?", he asked before Steve could get away.

Steve paused, looking caught off-guard.

"I- Yeah, actually I was heading for a bar and..." It looked like he was watching Billy's face for some sort of reaction and then deciding to go with his gut anyway. "You wanna come?"

Billy almost choked. Or like, he actually had to cough, cause whatever he'd been imagining Steve to say, he hadn't expected that question. "Now?", he asked, his voice high-pitched.

"I thought since you weren't hanging out with Ian and... It's okay if you don't want to or you have other plans or-"

"I don't," Billy said quickly but Steve looked disappointed so Billy clarified. "Have plans, I mean. I'd love to come. Do you... Can I take a quick shower? Ten minutes max and I'm your man, alright?"

"Sure!", Steve beamed and when Billy moved in the direction of his room, Steve tagged along.

And... how did none of this feel real and at the same time feel like the first real thing that happened to Billy all day?

Now Billy, especially after mentioning that he was planning to take a quick shower, was expecting Steve to head for his own room. He didn't though. Walked a foot behind Billy and when Billy unlocked his door, he looked at Billy with a tilted head. "You don't mind if I wait here, do you?"

And like... "Of course not," Billy exclaimed.

And Steve smiled before he headed for Billy's bed, sitting down on top of it, legs crossed, cellphone out.

It looked so fucking natural that Billy could only stand there and stare at him for an awkward moment. Then he shook his head and grabbed a bunch of clothes, heading for the bathroom.

Inside, Billy had a whole internal conversation about whether he should lock the door or not. It's not like Steve would walk inside, he told himself. And if he did, so what? But if he didn't lock, it could very well come across super fucking desperate. But also, now thirty seconds passed and locking now would be super weird like. Unnecessary.

Billy left the door unlocked and undressed at a fast pace, heading straight for the shower.

He gave himself a quick wash which was needed after that little bathroom thing with Ian.

Like, Billy had to wash that off before he could spend time with Steve.

Which was a fucked up thing to think about the guy you were basically dating. Not that Billy was ever asked about that but. It still felt like an asshole thing to think or. To do.

Billy's hand rested on his dick longer than fucking necessary. He was almost ashamed for honestly thinking about whether he should get off once more before going out with Steve. Just so he could avoid getting hard at a weird time from like a casual way Steve was touching him. But that could take forever now so Billy opted for an ice cold shower instead. Then he was stepping out and wrapping himself into a towel that was still damp, cursing himself. Billy pulled a face, looking in the mirror.

So. He had no idea why Steve asked him to hang out. Obviously.

But that guy was now waiting in the room next door, so Billy better started to get ready soonish. He reached for the clothes he brought, stepped into briefs and jeans and... of course found a huge damp spot on the shirt he brought that he must have caused stepping out of the shower.

_Fucking great._

Now, he had to get another one. As if that wouldn't come off as desperate.

Billy threw the shirt into the laundry basket. He'd decided to make a quick run for his closet once he stepped outside. This wouldn't have been a huge deal with anyone else, so it shouldn't be one with Steve. Right? Right...

So, Billy opened the door and looked over towards the bed. Steve raising his head the second he heard a sound, looking right back at Billy.

And for a second, neither of them were moving. Only that Steve's eyes widened a bit. Because, of course, it was fucking weird to walk out shirtless, chest still glistening. Like what was he even thinking?!

Billy felt naked, remained motionless.

"I- uh... sorry?", he mumbled and when Steve's expression turned more into confusion, he noticed how weird it was to apologize so he added, "For taking so long, you're probably half bored to death..."

That didn't sound too convincing either but Billy now stepped to grab the first shirt he could get his hands on. Only then he allowed himself to look at Steve again.

"No worries, I called, it's fine," Steve said, putting his phone back into his pocket.

Billy frowned. "Called who?"

"Oh, didn't I mention?", Steve asked, smiling apologetically. "I was meeting up with one of those girls from last night's party. You remember?"

Remember how all those dyed blondes swarmed around Steve like bees around a honeypot? He sure did.

"You're taking me along on a date then?", Billy blurted.

"What? It's not..." Steve's face went through quite some changes until he looked at Billy all big puppy-eyed. "You think it's a date?"

Billy snorted, went over and sat down on the bed next to Steve. "I mean, you should probably know it better when you set it up, but those girls last night... I'm pretty sure they all wanted to get in your pants."

Steve blushed. "I... God, I think, I've never been that drunk," he admitted. "It's like... I have at least a dozen new numbers saved. But I gave them all the same name. Can you believe it?" Steve was rolling his eyes.

For a second, Billy was convinced, Steve was kidding. That was before he actually looked at him. "You're shitting me..."

As if to prove it, Steve scrolled some on his phone, holding it up. Thereby he was revealing contacts of contacts, all called Vicky. And, Billy made a short trip down memory lane but he was pretty fucking sure he'd never hooked up with a Vicky.

Billy cackled. "How the fuck did that happen?"

"I have no clue."

"So now you have a date with Vicky or what?", Billy still grinned. "Sounds to me like you've been pretty successful." He shrugged.

"Ugh, don't call it a date," Steve groaned, rubbing his temples. "I mean, she texted me, there's like a one out of ten chance this one is actually called Vicky, right?"

"Pretty much. I mean, given you got that one name right."

"Yeah...", Steve didn't sound too convinced on that assumption either.

"Well," Billy chuckled. "I'm sure they'd all be okay with you calling them by whatever name, pretty boy. They were all over you. If you're not stupid, you won't have to go to bed alone for a while from now on."

Steve looked more tortured than someone should, considering the amount of sex he could be having.

"Not sure, I'm into them, if I'm being honest," Steve said.

"No need to be into them for you to get some, man," Billy reminded him, not sure he even wanted to talk him into that.

Steve sighed and then he nodded. "Anyway. I owe you for making sure I got home last night. I probably ruined your date with my fuckup but... I promise I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"Hey man," Billy said, "There's no need for anything. I was kinda glad for an excuse to leave and there are worse things than carrying your drunk ass home. You're such a lightweight, Harrington."

Steve was somewhat in between cringing and blushing.

"Pretty sure, I pissed off Laurie though..."

"Don't mind her. She's not used to someone else getting all the attention. I'll talk to her, if you want to, make sure everything's alright."

"Thanks," Steve smiled, leaning back and sinking into Billy's mattress now as if he wanted to tease him or, even less likely, actually enjoyed being here...

"Your bed sucks," Steve said, wiggling a bit until the old bed started squeaking. Billy noticed how his own gaze was wandering down Steve's body. He held tightly onto the sheets and tried to not do anything stupid right now.

"No shit," he said instead. "I mean, I could swear your bed's like ten times more comfy than any other dorm bed, including mine."

"It's the mattress," Steve said. "Bought my own.

Billy was looking at him, again expecting this to be some sort of joke. But judging by the way, Steve kept a straight face, he must have done that. "The other one was disgusting," Steve explained further. "And uncomfortable."

Billy sighed, sinking down into his mattress next to Steve now too. Okay, maybe thereby he was getting closer to him, but at least he wasn't staring anymore. "Tell me about it... I mean, I immediately turned mine over. Not that it helped much but... yeah. Damn. I didn't even know, getting your own mattress was an option."

Billy guessed, somehow everything was when you provided enough money to pay for it.

"So..." By now Billy had had enough time to think about where they were going but that didn't leave him without question. "Why exactly did you agree on that non-date date and... why bring me along?"

Steve, still laying down next to him turned his head, looking at Billy. "I... I was upset, I didn't get their names cause... they all heard me bitching about Nancy for more than an hour and... -I couldn't even get their name's straight?", Steve looked a bit tortured. "I thought, well, maybe agreeing on getting a beer somewhere, I could casually bring up that my phone messed up the numbers and... well perhaps she would give me the right ones?"

That was the most innocent, messed-up thing, Billy'd ever heard. Of course, it had to come from Steve Harrington.

"You want her to give you the names of all the other girls who had it out for you just to... not date her?"

"You sure this is a date?"

"What did she say to you?"

"That she had fun and she would love to repeat that sometime."

Billy snorted, grinning. "Definitely a date."

"Nooo...", Steve said, pouting.

"Don't worry. She'll get that you're not into her soon enough, especially when you bring me along," Billy smirked.

"You'll think, she'll be upset?"

"I have no idea. But she might leave before you get the chance to get all those names out of her, is what I'm saying. I mean, I don't have to come. If it works out better for you, going on your own, then I could stay here."

"No," Steve said immediately. "I mean, I'd rather grab a beer with you than go on an uncomfortable almost-date with a girl I'm not into."

"Wow, you really know how to charm a guy," Billy grinned. "So you're okay with not getting your names?"

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with trying, right?" Steve tilted his head saying that. And all of the sudden he was looking more smug than actually confused or anxious about this.

Billy smiled, gave him a nod. "I mean," he said, standing up, getting ready for both of them to leave. "If there's anyone able to charm the shit out of that chick, it's you, Harrington."

Now, that appeared to be a compliment after Steve's taste because he stood up grinning even wider. "Let's go then!"

They made their way outside after that. It was in the cab towards this bar where Steve was supposed to meet up with that girl when Billy noticed a shift in his appearance. Steve was staring out of the window, looking a bit like a deer hit by the headlights of a car. Damn, Billy cursed Laurie for planting that Bambi image in his head.

"Hey, everything alright?", he asked.

Steve looked a bit startled by this question. He was looking at Billy first, before adjusting the way he sat and looking at their driver. It wasn't until he was convinced this guy couldn't care less about them when Steve actually returned his gaze to Billy. "I feel bad for leading her on, you know?"

"It never occurred to you, that she might think this is a date?"

"I... Not really, no," Steve mumbled, eyes drifting to the side. "I haven't really dated since Nancy and... we've been together forever, you know?"

"And you wanna tell me that all this time no-one made a move on your ass?", Billy asked, little convinced.

"Maybe I didn't notice?", Steve tried, now questioning his reality, too. "We didn't do stuff like that, you know? Going out with Nancy was getting fancy dinner, meeting parents, country club, you know?"

Billy snorted. "They don't have girls at those places? Or guys?"

"Not too many single ones, I suppose," Steve answered, looking even more in thought now.

"Hey man, you're gonna find someone else, okay?" That felt the right thing to say to cheer him up even though Steve flinched a bit, grinding his molars.

"Yeah, I don't know about that," he grumbled. "You know, a few months ago my mom would send me e-mails and e-mails full of ring designs. It was kind of a given that, now that Nancy and I were dating for so long, I would propose to her at some point in the near future. That was kind of where it all led to since we started dating. My parents approved of her so the deal was pretty much closed. She was the girl. The girl, I'd marry, buy a house for..."

"Bunch of kids and a Lab, yeah, got it." Billy shook his head, now doubting his own sanity because of course, the wedding thing had to come up twice that night...

"Nancy has a dog hair allergy," Steve mumbled, almost voiceless.

Billy looked at him, expecting a joke but he couldn't stop laughing when he saw Steve's face. "Of course, she has," he chuckled. "You know, sometimes I wonder what it'd be like meeting her. You paint kind of a vivid picture, man"

"Not sure you'd get along."

"Yeah, because she's a bitch for dumping you like that."

Steve smiled. "Also, she doesn't like people like you."

"Like me?", Billy raised a brow unsure of where that was leading.

"Or Laurie," Steve added. "She... Yeah, she wouldn't approve of me hanging out with you at all." The thought seemed to amuse him.

"You made the better trade if you ask me," Billy said, not only because he hated judgmental people like that.

"You know what?", Steve asked, turning his head towards him now. "I think so, too." He smiled. "My mom's been trying to set up dates for me ever since she heard from Nancy that we broke up... They still go to brunch together," he rolled his eyes at that. "I always tell her, I don't have time right now but... I don't want that again."

"Don't want the perfect girl?", Billy asked, not expecting an answer to that. "If you ask me, perfect's overrated anyway." Now, that was an easy thing to say, coming from someone like Billy. Steve Harrington on the other hand...

"Yeah," Steve agreed. And then he looked content again and the dim light in their cab made him look crazy beautiful. Billy almost turned away. To look out of the window and pretend not to care. But Steve was looking at him too, holding his gaze, holding him captive. So Billy allowed his eyes to linger, to take in the shapes cut out by the light as if looking at Steve was enough. And for now, it almost was.

The driver stopping, wheels hitting the side of the road brought Billy back into the present. He felt out of place like he couldn't even tell how long they'd been staring at each other moments prior. He only remembered tracing the outline of Steve's lips with his gaze. Steve licking over his bottom lip-.  
And now they were both getting out of the car. And Steve looked flustered which wasn't unexpected. Billy should be better at controlling himself.

"You want me to wait here for a moment, walk in after you, or...", Billy offered. After that weird way of starting a night, he wanted to make this as easy for Steve as he could.

Steve paid their driver first, then he shook his head at Billy as if he knew exactly what he was doing. "Nah, it's... I don't want to play any games."

Always the better man.

Billy wasn't getting any further explanation. He walked behind Steve, getting into that crowded bar. Steve was checking his phone again. Then he led them towards a table where a blonde girl was sitting. Her eyes were glued to her phone screen, too, and she was looking rather annoyed.

She only looked up when Steve pulled back one of the stairs, causing some noise.

Billy could see her face lighting up immediately. A thing that only the sight of Steve fucking Harrington could do to someone. Like somehow he even managed to make her more pretty.

"Hey!", she greeted him, pulling that boy into a hug he clearly wasn't expecting.

For a second or so, Billy felt jealousy boiling in his gut. That was of course until he reminded himself that this girl hadn't, in fact, noticed him yet. And jealousy turned onto smugness.

While that girl was still trying to what looked like groping Steve in public, Billy pulled himself a chair back. And then he sat down without giving any further explanation, definitely startling her. Since she was letting go of Steve, Billy counted that as a win.

"Excuse me," she said with a very annoying voice. Billy looked up at her, remaining calm. "This table's already taken, so go somewhere else, yeah?" She looked at Steve with a 'can you believe this asshole'-gaze. All while Steve looked still a bit overwhelmed by all of this. Billy couldn't blame him, this place was loud and crowded and as usual, Steve had no idea of what he was getting into.

But then Steve caught himself.

"Uh, that's Billy, I invited him to hang with us," he said. "You don't mind, do you?"

For a split second, that girl's surface broke and she looked like she was about to murder Steve. Or Billy. Most likely both.

But then she settled on a friendly smile that was almost convincing. "Of course not," she chattered. "The more, the merrier, right?" She gave a cheerful laugh.

Steve smiled and Billy wasn't sure if he didn't notice her annoyance. Because he could also be overacting to hide his own insecurities. "I'm going to get us all drinks," Steve then said and without further notice, he was gone.

Which was a smart thing to do. There couldn't be an argument if you weren't there. Billy could watch and learn a thing or two, he thought.

The girl glared at Billy for a moment longer, before sitting down on the opposite side of the table, legs crossed.

Billy couldn't help but smirk. He felt like he for once held the upper hand.

"Listen, asshole," she started and Billy leaned forward, too because he was kind of enjoying this. "I don't know what fucking game you are playing but me and him, we're on a date and no matter what, I'm not going home with you."

Billy snorted. "Does he know, you're on a date?", he asked because he was cruel like that. "Also, you don't have to worry about me, I have no interest in you."

Her face looked like she wasn't at all certain which of those statements hurt her more.

Billy wasn't surprised by that. Girls like her, at least in Billy's experience, were very fucking used to getting all the attention. Even the unwanted kind. That was why she was still expecting Steve Harrington to be on a date with her. That is why she even expected Billy to want to get in her pants. And most of all, that's why it confused the shit out of her to hear that he doesn't want that.

Billy might be doing quite a bunch of those girls wrong by assuming that they were all this special breed. Pretty girls, popular in High School, that ended up in some sorority in College right away. Always partying and going from boyfriend to boyfriend. Since he fucked at least a few of them, hey, he could almost be considered some sort of expert, right?

"You're getting a kick out of this?", she hissed. "Getting in on other peoples dates like a third wheel?"

Oh, she wanted to play nasty now? Wanted to get him to back off like that? Poor girl. She should know, that no amount of talking could get someone to say 'no' to a night of drinking with Steve Harrington.

"Hey, sorry to destroy your little dream there, baby girl, but unlike you, he actually asked me to hang out tonight, so if anyone's leaving..."

"Like hell, I'm leaving!", she snarled, face a few shades darker already.

"Good," Billy still grinned at that. "Again, nobody asked you to." He sat back.

She glared at him for a moment longer. "What's in it for you?"

"Free beer," Billy shrugged. "Also, this is already more fun than I'd hoped for." He winked at her just for the hell of it.

"Asshole," she muttered more to herself. But it wasn't like she had that much more time to pout since Harrington was already on his way back. He was carrying some beer for all of them.

Billy leaned forward again, thereby catching the girl's attention. "It's Billy, actually," he teased, opting for a smirk. "And your name?"

"Victoria. Vicky," she grumbled, still not too happy about this conversation. Or rather this company.

Billy hid his laugh in a cough. Well, wasn't Stevie lucky he'd managed to get the one girl who's name he remembered?

"Hey, sorry, I...", Steve was thrown off by Billy coughing and patted his back after putting down the beers. Only then he returned his gaze to Vicky. "Uh- I didn't know what you were drinking, so..."

"Beer's fine," Vicky said, taking one of the glasses from him. "I'm not picky."

Steve looked relieved.

"For the record, Vicky," Billy jumped in, to communicate to Steve that her name was actually Vicky. "What would you be drinking if you had to choose?"

Steve looked a little scandalized for a second. Like he was thinking that Billy was making fun about the name thing. But then he realized that Vicky was the actual name of that girl, so he tried to cover his initial reaction up by taking a generous sip of his beer.

"Oh, uh-" the girl reached for her emptied cocktail glass, raising it up. "I was having a cosmo, but anything fruity is good," she shrugged.

"Noted," Steve smiled. "I'll get you some on my next run, okay?"

"Thank you," she smiled at him, doing that thing with her eyes, like looking up from under her lashes or shit like that. A thing, Billy would look like a total idiot while trying to recreate it. Even if, and he took some pride in that, he'd heard on more than one occasion that he had amazing lashes himself. And, he thought to himself, his ones weren't fake.

"Well, cheers!", Billy said raising his glass, drinking when the others did the same.

"So," Vicky said after a moment of awkward silence manifesting itself between them. Billy watched her for a moment, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes only on Steve. Then he did the same, deciding not to waste any of his attention on her.

Watching Steve, especially when he wasn't looking at Billy, had something strangely calming. Billy felt like he was still in control, still able to take his gaze away. Even when he was so completely captivated by Steve's lips curving into an interested smile. The way his long finger circled around the top of the glass, probably tasting like beer if Billy only ever had the chance, to...

"You got home well last night? After all, we weren't exactly easy on you with the booze," Vicky chuckled.

Billy expected Steve to go a bit tense at that, to blush even. But there was only this charming smile, the lowered gaze. Then Steve looked to the side and Billy felt a bit exposed when Steve met his eyes for a second. Billy brought his attention back to his drink, pretending that he hadn't, in fact, stared, while Steve answered.

"This one made sure, I made it to bed in one piece," Steve said, talking about Billy.

"Oh, I am sure of that," Vicky said in that mocking undertone, Billy hoped Steve would overhear.

"But I think, I'll have a hard time making it up to Laurie."

The way, Vicky's nose wrinkled, she knew exactly who Laurie was and somehow Billy took a lot of joy out of that.

"Come on, she's going easy on you anyways. You'll just bake her something sweet or whatever and she'll be pliant. Hell, you could probably get home drunk every night, if you play your cards right." Billy smirked, saying this more to tease the girl than Steve.

"Laurie's your roommate?", Vicky asked.

Billy was occupied watching the way, Steve was licking and biting his bottom lip. His eyes were still lingering somewhere close to Billy, following up on what Billy had implied before. "Thought, you and Nancy had an apartment close to Campus..."

Now, that was new information and it actually managed to get Billy's gaze off of that pretty boy next to him. He had to make sure, Vicky didn't look like she was joking. On the other hand, this sounded almost too fitting. Like it must be true.

"Yeah, I thought I..." Steve hesitated to give out the answer.

"You were renting?", Billy asked, not caring that he jumped straight into their conversation.

Steve looked at him, face softening a bit. "Not quite. My father's into real estate so, he owns a few places in this city. And other cities."

Billy's paused. Well, that sounded like a lot of money but what he was more concerned about was, "You gave your place to your ex?"

Steve cringed. "I think she's paying rent now, but... yeah?"

Billy looked at him in disbelief. "To live in a dorm instead?"

Steve looked at Vicky for a second. Like this was a conversation he would rather be having somewhere else. Somewhere, where not that many ears were involved. Billy got it and leaned a bit closer while Vicky got the hint, too, keeping herself occupied with her phone. Pretending she didn't care.

"You wanna go out for a smoke real quick?", Steve asked instead of answering.

And. That was surprising.

Billy nodded even before he understood. "Hey," Steve said addressing the girl, who still pretended not to care or listen while she most likely did both. "We'll be out for a minute or two. I'll get you your cocktail in a second, alright?" Look at him, always trying to make nice with everyone. Or maybe that was the jealousy in Billy talking.

"Yeah, whatever," the girl shrugged, though it didn't sound as annoyed as Billy had been expecting.

What he also wasn't expecting was Steve's hand coming down on Billy's back. He kept it there, lingering as they made their way through the crowd heading to the outside.

Arriving, Billy took a big inhale of fresh and clean air before he was reaching into his pocket. He was trying to fish out two cigarettes and his lighter. Steve stepped close, when he took one, standing pretty much right in front of Billy. That allowed him to light the cigarette for Steve, their faces only inches apart.

Steve stayed there for a glimpse longer than it would have been necessary. He was taking one drag, then another before looking up and meeting Billy's eyes. His face was only lit by the glowing cigarette in his mouth. Then he took back a step, maybe two, remaining close but not like... not that close anymore. Not so close it made Billy's untouched skin tingle like he was suddenly too big for it.

Billy lit himself a cigarette, too. More to occupy himself than out of craving one.

"Everything alright, pretty boy?", he asked. He was trying to let that sound casual when everything else felt tense.

Steve swallowed, nodded with the cigarette still dangling between his lips. He looked strangely skillful like that, like someone who used to smoke a lot before... most likely before Nancy happened and he had to play house with her. Billy narrowed his eyes a little.

"Just needed a quick break, it's... None of her business, I guess."

"None of mine either, if we're being honest here," Billy said, flipping some ash off the tip.

Steve tilted his head. "No, it's- I wanna tell you, I think. I mean, I didn't think about it, when I let her stay in the apartment. Because I couldn't, anyway. Couldn't stay there, after. It's-"

"Too many memories?"

"Yeah, right," Steve nodded, eyes distant. "And then my dad's other apartments. There were a few options, I'm not gonna lie and maybe they were even closer to school, or nicer... well, of course, they're nicer but. I've been there, one afternoon, with my mom. Talking about how she would arrange that particular place. You know, with like a picture here and a lamp there and carpets and...", Steve pulled a face. "She said, she'd make it nice and I would find someone in no time. Or get Nancy back and."

Billy watched him, watched how his face went through a lot, getting almost pale now. "Don't want that. Don't wanna be alone in a big place like that, waiting for someone to be fucking whole again, you get that? To fit in that expectation my mom's been forming since the day I was fucking born..."

"So, you did something they didn't expect," Billy concluded.

"Or understand even. I sold my mom a few lies about how it'd help my studies being around my peers and, yeah, they allowed it," he rolled his eyes. "Can you believe it? My parents allowed me to do what I wanted to do." He chuckled like that was a funny thing though they both knew it really wasn't.

Billy reached out, put a hand on Steve's shoulder in just like a casual, cheering up kind of way. And like... Billy wasn't someone for casual touches whatsoever. But he wasn't like obsessing about that right now. Not when Steve rested a bit of weight into the touch, as if he was encouraging it. And of course, that didn't mean anything, because Steve was always a kind of touchy guy. Only that for Billy it meant _everything_.

"You sold it to them." Billy withdrew his hand in a slow way, more to convince himself of his decision. "It's your choice. They might be okay with that, but you still did what you wanted. And-, I mean, you didn't ask for my opinion or whatever... Course not... But I think, it's good that you're here and not only because you get me cake and free beer," he winked.

Steve smiled dorkily and for a second Billy had no idea anymore of what they were even talking about. Like Steve could step closer and hug him or even kiss him. He wasn't doing that but. It almost wouldn't have surprised Billy if he'd done that. It felt natural like that.

Only after a while, Billy remembered their reality. He turned around and faced the door where people were getting inside and out of the bar. And of course, Billy remembered Vicky and now, gaining a bit of sense back, he felt bad for her. In a strange way, they had quite a lot in common actually. At least the fact that Steve Harrington wasn't on a date with either of them.

"I can't believe, that her name's actually Vicky," Steve chuckled. He now took the last drag of his cigarette before dropping the butt on the floor and stepping on it.

"Yeah, I could barely stop myself from laughing when I heard that. Guess, you're lucky tonight," Billy said.

Steve looked at him, smiling. "Guess, I am." He paused for a moment, looking at him in a way it was hard for Billy to handle without getting lost. "Ready to go back in?"

"Yeah. We shouldn't leave her waiting for that much longer, huh?"

Steve smiled and like that, they walked back inside. Shortly before they reached the table, Steve tapped Billy's shoulder, announcing that he was getting more drinks for them. Billy thought about tagging along but since he was already at their table, he got back and sat down facing Vicky.

"You're funny," Vicky said, the second she realized that Steve was gone and not coming back too soon. Billy looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Telling me, that I'm not on a date with him when you should have had someone telling you so. Also, he's not gay, I know for a fact."

"Oh, believe me, so do I," Billy said, getting angry cause he was caught off guard.

"So what is that? You think you can get both of us drunk enough, so we'll play along with that? So you can double-team? Because that's as close as you'll ever get?"

Billy's gaze hardened. It's not like that thought had never crossed his mind. Not tonight of course but like... he'd thought about Steve in that scenario once or twice or... He tried to shake that thought off.

"Oh, you want his dick so badly, you'd even take me home, too? Wow, call it a true sacrifice," he snorted, wanting to be just as cruel. If she's accusing him, that only means she's thinking about it, too!

The girl looked as caught as Billy was feeling so at least that was mutual. "And?"

Billy looked to the side. He looked at Harrington who was smiling at the bartender before grabbing his glasses to carry them back. His smile widened when he met Billy's eyes across the room.

"Don't think, either of us stands a chance," Billy said and well, that was the truth, wasn't it?

"Not even if he's drunk?" The girl sounded as desperate as Billy felt. Like he thought. They had more things in common than he'd like to admit.

"Consent isn't a big word in your vocabulary, huh?", Billy commented, rolling his eyes. "He was shitfaced last night, still with no idea either you or those other girls had any interest in him. He was just glad he could talk about his breakup."

The girl pulled a face and then even groaned. "Damn, that's a waste of time!" She reached for her purse and put it on the table, sorting through it. "What are you getting out of it then, apart from beer? You can't be doing this only to spent time with him..." She was looking at Billy now, ready to tear apart any stupid lie he could come up with.

"We're friends," Billy said after a short pause and wasn't that the truth? He would be here no matter what, no matter in who's bed Steve would end up. Because he enjoyed spending time with him which was hilarious since it came from Billy.

"I hope you have a lot of fun then, on your non-date. You could try telling your friend that he shouldn't run around, leading people on. Stealing their fucking time... That would be very nice. What did he even want from me?" She rolled her eyes.

"Honest answer?", Billy asked.

"Please." Vicky, who had been standing up to get out of their booth, sat down once more, to listen to this. Well, if she wanted the truth...

"He feels bad because he has all of last night's numbers saved under the wrong name. So he thought, you could help with that."

"But, just so we're clear... Still, he'll end up calling nobody? Cause he's not into dating?", she asked, irritated.

"I don't know. I mean, not right now but maybe when he's over the breakup." Billy didn't feel like he was leading her on with that. After all, that was what he was expecting, too. He was very positive that at some point, no matter what he said, Steve Harrington would be going on dates again. And hot sorority girls were like everyone's type usually, so he might reach out there, pull that straw. "You'd help him a lot, doing this," Billy added, cause it would kind of make Steve's day, right?

When Steve arrived at their table, Vicky was still growling a little, mumbling something to herself. But she was also pulling out her phone. And then she looking at Steve with a fake smile when he put one of those cocktails down in front of her. Good, Billy thought. At least she got something out of this. But it didn't look like she planned on staying much longer since she chugged down a good two-thirds of it in one go.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her mouth. "Hey, your friend here told me you have troubles with some numbers? Since I'll be heading home in a few, why don't you show me and I'll see if I can be of any help?"

Steve looked a bit anxious at first like Billy might have spilled his secret there. But the girl didn't look angry and like... she was a damn good actress, if she wanted to, Billy thought. And when Steve looked at Billy, Billy tried for an optimistic smile, too. So Steve nodded, pulled out his phone and sat down next to the girl for once. Billy reached for one of the beers and did it like Vicky. Chugging down like half of it, not because he wanted to go but because the night seemed to go easier when he was drunk. Then he allowed his gaze to linger on the two in front of him.

The girl looked annoyed but Steve wasn't paying attention to that, as it seemed. They compared numbers and Steve fixed the names. When Vicky realized, he only saved her name, she looked pleased by that. What came surprisingly to Billy when they arrived here and like a lucky coincidence, most likely resulted in her doing most of the talking last night. Her being the leader was pretty likely since she had been the first one to go after Steve.

Billy smiled at that deduction. He wondered what Steve would do when any of the other girls asked him to hang out. If they would even do that... Billy expected that when Vicky got back, she would inventing some story about Steve not being ready for someone else yet. Or Billy being an asshole that disrupted their date. She probably won't end up telling that this wasn't a date in the first place.

Steve looked happy, with his numbers and names in order. And Vicky sighed, by now realizing how that evening was going to end if she hadn't done that before.

"You wanna leave yet?", Steve asked, but he was standing up, too, getting back to his place next to Billy.

"I mean..." The girl was dragging these words, as she picked up her things. She put a smirk on then, even looking at Billy, calm like that. "You two are obviously invited to head back to my place. But I'm not too sure that's what you're looking for," she purred, tilting her head.

If Billy would have been drinking at that moment, he would have downright choked on it. Now Steve? Steve was blushing furiously. He was avoiding her gaze, looking at Billy for help or anything. As if Billy had any idea of what to say to this, even if he admittedly had more time to prepare. He stared back at Steve before he turned to Vicky. "Think we'll pass. See you around, Vicky," he said, keeping his voice calm, trying not to show how nervous this got him. Steve's smile was apologetic. And Billy wasn't sure what he had been expecting but Vicky only shrugged before she walked off.

Steve snatched her cocktail then, taking a sip and looking almost more pleased with it than with his beer. Billy wasn't sure if it was the flavor or the higher percentage of alcohol that he wanted right now. He still watched him, still trying to read Harrington.

"Did she just ask what I think she did?", Steve looked irritated but his face wasn't as red anymore. The cocktail definitely did something to calm his nerves, making Billy want one for himself.

"Yeah, I think she did," Billy nodded, now almost amused that she hat the guts to put out an offer like that.

"Would you..."

"Jesus, Harrington, how far would you have gone not to make her think that you lead her on?", Billy asked. And like... he was joking and it felt mean, but at least this way he didn't have to lie right at Steve's face.

Steve's face turned into a grimace for a second but he shook it off with a smile. "Just... wondering if you ever did something like that, I guess."

"Are you now?", Billy asked, one brow raised, more mumbling to himself even. All that, while Steve's eyes were still big and curious. Jesus, that boy knew had no boundaries in conversation, huh? "I mean... yeah, did that on a few occasions."

Billy asked himself whether he should go into any detail there. Probably not... Saying he did that on a few occasions was a little sugarcoated. For a while, threeways were kind of his thing. Sex-wise it really was the best of both worlds, at least if you could talk a chick and a guy into it. Hell, he even had Laurie in twice. One time because she asked him and she wanted to try it with a girl and thought it was easier like that. And then with her and some guy, she talked into it, because the girl thing hadn't been doing too much for her and she wanted more attention. They stopped doing that though. It was always a little weird to have a third party in when they knew each other and their little quirks so well.

"What are you thinking about?", Steve asked, bringing Billy back to the present.

"Oh, uh- yeah, sorry. Well, haven't done it in a while, is what I wanted to say, I guess. But it's not like... you didn't want to, right? I mean, I thought, I'd jump in because didn't-"

"Yeah, no, thanks," Steve said, smiling in an awkward way. "Yeah, I was- surprised is the word, I think. Didn't think that was like... an option."

"What?", Billy smirked. "Nobody ever offered himself to you and your girlfriend before?" If she was even half as pretty as Steve is, that must have happened at some point...

"You really don't know Nancy," Steve laughed. "No that wasn't... she would never."

"And you?" Now, all those vague-ass answers started to get Billy rather curious.

"Who knows," Steve shrugged, probably not even aware of what a giant tease he was. "Seems like nowadays I'm full of surprises."

Billy reached for his almost-emptied beer and raised it. "To surprises, then," he toasted and Steve smiled before he drank to that, too. Both of them emptied their glasses.

While Billy was wondering whether Steve would call an end to their night now, Steve had that spark in his eye. And it somehow reminded Billy to the glimpse of a second right before he had kissed him on that spin a bottle game. And that wasn't helping _at all_. "How about we're doing some shots?", Steve asked.

"What do you think we are?", Billy snorted. "Bunch of desperate sorority girls?" He raised a brow, though he was smiling because Steve's fucking smile was addictive as hell.

"Come on!", Steve urged him. "You chose. I feel like getting drunk." Steve stood up, having no chill at all.

"If only Nancy could see you like this," Billy put on a sharklike grin, following. _Of course, he was following._

"Or my mom," Steve grinned.

They made their way right to the front of the bar and Steve looked at Billy, expectantly. "What are we drinking, then?"

"You really wanna do shots?", Billy asked once more. It wasn't like he wasn't into the idea of getting shitfaced with Harrington. Only this didn't sound so much like a Steve idea.

"Please."

"Oh, when you're that eager, I guess Fireball, it is," Billy suggested, almost expecting Steve to back out of this. Like most people with some self-respect would back out before doing Fireball shots.

"Great!", Steve said, not even a hint of sarcasm. And before Billy could look surprised, Steve was already ordering a bunch of shots for them. Well, if he _insisted_...

Billy looked at the small glasses that all of the sudden arrived at the bar right in front of him. And then he looked at Steve and started to question the sanity behind his own decision. Maybe he should have picked something that reminded him less of puking for their first round but... Steve was already grinning, reaching for the first one.

"To bad decisions," he said with a wide smirk.

"And parental approval," Billy added with a wink. And then they chugged the booze down that left a familiar burn in Billy's throat. Harrington, of course, was more of a lightweight, coughing a bit at the strong aftertaste. But he caught himself soon enough, already reaching for the next. Like he was trying to _kill_ Billy.

"Hey, easy," Billy warned. "You got some catching up to do?"

"Looks like I do," Steve realized, shrugging, not losing any of his eagerness.

"If I have to carry you home and you puke in your room, Laurie's not going to be lulled by a few sweet words this time."

Steve pulled a face. "Who says, I'm going to puke?"

"Your obvious lack of hesitation when it comes to Fireball."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a bullshit excuse from someone who can't handle their liquor," Steve mocked. And damn, that boy was getting confident when he was buzzed. Billy grinned and downed the next glass even before Steve could come up with another toast. Steve followed him quickly, not choking this time.

"Honestly," Billy mumbled after a moment, grinning at Steve. "Laurie won't be pissed at you coming home drunk as much as she'll be fucking mad at us for not inviting her."

"Better make it worth then," Steve suggested. He was pushing the next shot against Billy's chest. His eyes were lingering there for a second until Billy noticed there was some booze dripping down the neckline of his shirt. He wiped it off, then took the drink and they downed that one as well.

"Or we call her. She'll be busy but..."

"So, she won't tear off our heads later," Steve nodded.

Billy reached into his pocket then, pulling it out and realizing that he got a few texts.

"Everything alright?", Steve asked, probably thrown off by Billy's face.

Billy opened up the first one, that came from Ian asking whether he had fun. He saw a bunch of text after that, Billy would read when he wasn't as drunk anymore. Instead, he called Laurie, using his left hand to put it over his ear. As if by that he could cancel even a bit of the noise surrounding them... The surprising thing was that Laurie picked up.

"What?", she asked, sounding grumpy.

"Hey, Laurie. Laurie? That you, Laurie?", Billy asked, realizing that the booze was already kicking in.

"What do you want, shithead?"

"Steve and I are having shots."

"Congratu-fucking-lations," she mumbled.

"You wanna come?", Billy asked cause he had the feeling that she was missing the point. But then, Billy was losing the point more and more too. Cause Steve was leaning in, one hand on Billy's knee to balance himself. Like he was probably trying to hear what Laurie was saying. But that didn't mean Billy's body was in that this was completely casual. That touch alone was enough to send more fire through Billy's body than the fucking Fireball ever could.

"Pass," Laurie said.

"Huh?", Billy asked cause he kind of missed what she'd said, looking straight into Steve's big brown eyes.

"Listen, asshole, I'm on my way to see a guy, stop going on my nerves. I'll be home in the morning and you better have my roommate home by then."

"Yeah, I uh- I think, I'll manage," Billy nodded. He thought that if he would accomplish anything today, it was getting Steve to bed. Not like that, of course, but... yeah, he'll manage.

"Maybe order a round of water, too," Laurie suggested. And then the line was dead and for a second Billy thought, he'd done something wrong. He was about to call her again, but Steve was tightening his grip on Billy's knee to catch his attention.

"What'd she say?", Steve asked.

"Date," Billy said. "Didn't mention who."

"Huh," Steve said, shrugging. "More for us then, right?" And he nodded towards the fucking Fireball. "Looks like everybody's fucking dating now."

"Not us…"

"Now that's just blatantly lying," Steve snorted. "You got this _boyfriend_ , remember?" Steve pulled a face.

"I don't… we haven't exactly talked about it and." Billy swallowed. "I'm not… it's not going to last anyway, so…"

"Really?"

And like... how did he even do that? How did he sound like he was even remotely interested in Billy's life? That's not fair, leading him on like that when he was so far out if reach...

"Yeah. It's… Doesn't work out, I guess. Maybe I'll try your way for a while, find myself a real nice girl, you know?", Billy smirked. "Settle down, shit like that."  
  
"Don't you dare!", Steve grinned. "Who needs dates anyway when you can get drunk with your buddy." He grinned pointing at the remaining Fireball like that was someone he was actually looking forward to.

"How about another drink then, _buddy_?", Billy teased.

Billy wasn't sure, partly cause he was more than just a little buzzed by now. But he couldn't tell if Steve was blushing because of the shit they were talking about. It could also only be a side effect of the drinks they were having. Or Billy's mind was playing games with him again.

But against better knowledge, they drank another round. And the damn Fireball tasted like straight-up gasoline and no one could convince Billy otherwise.

Steve pulled a face like he wasn't particularly enjoying the taste either.

"You know what would be really nice?", Steve asked after a moment. He was leaning against the counter to keep himself up-straight.

"Spit it out, pretty boy," Billy encouraged.

"Take out. Like really greasy Chinese food or something." Steve grinned like a dork and Billy could almost hear his own stomach growl in response. Or maybe this was his body's way of begging for food to at least absorb some of the poison he's flooding his system with.

"Fuck, yeah, that sounds amazing!", Billy agreed.

"How about, we... head home and order like... a whole lot of it?", Steve was slurring a bit, but Billy got the point. "I mean, Laurie won't be home, right?" He grinned.

"You're bad, Harrington." Billy grinned wider. "She's going to kill you, you know that?"

"Nah, not if you don't let her," Steve shook his head.

Billy looked at him with both brows raised, trying to ponder if that was worth it. Laurie had this very particular rule about smelly things in her room. No take out if it wasn't like pizza or something light like a salad. One time, she threw Billy out cause he'd used too much cologne or some shit. Billy was very fucking sure, Steve must have had this talk with her at some point, right after he moved in. But then, judging by that phone call he just made, she most likely won't be home until the morning. And by then, they would have gotten rid of the evidence and all.

"Alright, yeah, yes, let's do that," Billy finally nodded. "But it's not my fault when she's killing both of us, tomorrow, like..."

"Yeah, I'm taking all the blame," Steve offered. "Let's get going!"

He paid the bartender with what looked like way too much money for the amount they'd been drinking. And then they walked out of the bar, only sobering up a little by the fresh night air.

"Damn, I'm starving," Steve complained. "Can you order? I'll give you my credit card number and all?"

"Easy, get us a cab, I'll take care of it, alright?"

Steve looked doubtful for a second but then he nodded, calling for a cab of which they were plenty anyway. On the street they were in a lot of nightlife was settled. So a minute or so later, Steve had a car pulling up.

Billy, who'd already pulled out his phone, was browsing through the different takeout places in the area. He let out a small yelp, when Steve pulled him by the sleeve towards a cab, urging them inside. While Steve was discussing directions with the driver, Billy decided on one place that didn't have too shitty reviews. And also it offered a fast delivery. Which was like, the most important thing right now.

Now, drunkenly ordering food was never a smart idea. Not only was he so hungry all of the sudden, everything sounded delicious as fuck! So Billy was picking fried rice and noodles and all the really good sounding stuff. Enough probably to serve a small family rather than just one guy.

"Here," he then said, giving the phone to Steve.

Steve took it quickly, scrolling through the menu and dragging at least as many items into the shopping cart, as Billy did. Billy didn't even notice how Steve was typing shit into his phone until he gave him the phone back, screen dark.

"All done," Steve announced, leaning back.

"What?", Billy wondered, reopening the tab just to see that everything was already paid for. "Hey, you already paid for drinks and shit, I was going to get it," Billy complained.

"Nah, it's fine, I made you go out with me, it's..."

"I can pay you back," Billy offered, trying to remember whether he had enough cash in his room.

"Forget it, man. I'm eating most of it anyway," Steve grinned like that was a convincing point.

"Like hell, you will," Billy smirked. "Fuck, I hope they deliver as fast as they promised, cause I'm starving."

"I hope, Laurie isn't home," Steve said, frowning.

"Yeah, better hope that. Well, or we move it to my room."

"My bed's comfier," Steve said.

Billy noticed that the driver was looking at them in a weird way, out of the corner of his way. Or maybe he was making this up. He was way too drunk to deal with someone being homophobic tonight. Because for that scenario, Billy preferred being able to throw a mean punch. Well, as long as that guy kept his mouth shut, Billy decided to hold his horses. Which wasn't hard, because as soon as he was looking at Steve again, he wasn't angry anymore.

Steve was right, too. His bed was bigger and way more comfortable, even just to eat take out on it. So, hopefully, Laurie's date was going good and the guy wasn't like ditching her again.

Something made Billy pull out his phone, looking whether maybe Laurie had sent him a message. While he did that, Steve was leaning in closer. At first Billy thought, Steve tried to sneak a look on his screen while. But instead, that boy was yawning, sinking sideways, until he was resting against Billy's shoulder. Billy turned his head to the side, expecting Steve to shy away. But he was downright melting against him, eyes falling shut.

Wow, if he kept that up, he won't be able any of their ordered food. But Billy couldn't find it in himself to shake Steve awake again. Not while he was so warm and so close and so fucking pretty. For a moment, Billy forgot all about his phone. He just watched the cute way in which Steve's nose twitched with every breath he took. The way the lines on his forehead were flattening and relaxing, as he calmed.

Only then, he refocused, going through his messages to see whether Laurie had said something to him. The only message he'd gotten from her was:

_If you let him puke in my room, I'm gonna kill him._

Billy was pretty sure, Steve had gotten a quite similar message.

Since they still had like ten minutes to drive and Steve was snoring softly, Billy checked his other messages, too, which were like a whole bunch from Ian.

At first, he'd just asked whether Billy was having a good time. But when Billy hadn't answered, he'd sent a few more messages. Some definitely attention seeking. Like a selfie in really fucking good lighting that kept Billy looking for a moment. Some totally random like asking about that study group. But the latest messages all were really fucking desperate and Billy had no idea how he felt about them. Ian was asking him to hang out tomorrow. Asking to see his place again, not really hiding what he had in mind when it came to that.

Billy wasn't sure even if desperate was the right word.

Maybe he just hated that topic and right now he didn't want to think about Ian or he'd feel bad for the shit he was doing.

Steve next to him, started moving due to the turns the car was making. And Billy, when he noticed they were close to home, put his phone back into his pocket, after typing a message for Ian.   
  
_Pretty drunk, call you tomorrow._

"Hey, Stevie, get up, time to get food," Billy said, trying to wake him up softly when the driver threw them an annoyed glance. Billy pulled out the bit of money he was carrying in his pocket. This way he could pay the driver off quickly. Then he went for a more harsh tactic to get Steve to wake up. All while that boy was more whining than blinking his eyes open. It looked like Billy downright had to carry him out of the car...

"C'mon, Harrington, I can't always carry your ass straight to bed," Billy grumbled. He was reaching around Steve to hold him and drag him out. It looked like he was regaining his consciousness now, moaning while he stumbled to his feet. He was holding himself up only by leaning against the car.

The driver was honking, to make them hurry. Billy rolled his eyes and pulled Steve away from there, knocking on the top of the car to announce that the driver could leave now. Asshole... Steve was by now standing up all by himself, wiping his eyes. "Shit, did I fall asleep?"

"Who? You?", Billy asked until Steve looked at him sheepishly with a shy smile. "You were only off for like a second. Wanna go upstairs already? I think I'll wait here for the food, must be here in ten max."

Steve looked towards the entrance of the dorm with a frown and then he shook his head. "Nah, it'll be a lot to carry alone, so..."

Yeah, they probably both knew that wasn't true but. Billy wasn't complaining about Steve staying out with him, so...

"Sorry...", Steve mumbled after a moment. "I... fuck, drinking gets me super tired."

"No wonder," Billy said, amused. "You gotta build up your stamina again, after years of sobriety."

"I'm not sure, it works like that." Steve rolled his eyes.

Billy chuckled and he pulled out a cigarette, even offering one to Steve, that he was denying with a shake of his head.

Next thing, Billy was checking his phone for the whereabouts of their delivery guy. It looked like that guy was only a few blocks away so they wouldn't have to wait much longer.

When he looked up, Steve was leaning against a streetlight, eyes again blinking very slow, more closed than open.

"Hey, you're not falling asleep on me, are you?", Billy asked, brow raised.

Steve pulled a face, shaking his head. "No, course not. I'm not... not even tired anymore..." As if to prove that ridiculous statement, he was taking a few steps back from that lamp, closer to Billy.

Billy chuckled. "Hey, don't worry, if you just wanna grab your food and head to bed, I won't hold you back. I can eat on my uncomfortable bed just fine," he winked at Steve.

"No, no, no..." Steve shook his head, now walking a few steps in one direction, before doing a 180 and doing the same thing again. He was probably trying to wake himself up with the exercise. "Eating takeout alone is sad."

"Depends on the food," Billy shrugged but of course he wouldn't argue when Steve wanted to still hang out.

The sound of a cyclist ringing a bell had them both turning around. Steve let out a relieved sigh when he recognized their delivery guy there.

Billy took it upon himself to walk over and get the food because he still didn't trust Steve not to just drop down sleeping on the spot.

The guy waved at him, cycling off when Billy walked up to Steve. He was carrying a few very heavy plastic bags full of what hopefully was steaming hot food, of course being able to do so alone.

Steve hummed in appreciation. He was already looking a little more wake now what made Billy a bit more confident about tonight. It surely wouldn't be that much fun if Steve would fall asleep over a plate of Chinese food. And Billy sitting next to him with no idea of what to do.

But like that, with Steve walking like two steps ahead of him, opening up doors for Billy to easily pass, that looked promising. While clearly still drunk, Steve appeared to be somewhat more awake right now.

"God, I'm starving," Steve announced again, as they stepped on their designated floor. They were walking down the hallway until they got to Steve's room.

Steve looked a bit more alert all of the sudden, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He was looking left and right as if he wanted to make sure, nobody was seeing them. Then he was gesturing to Billy with his pointer finger over his lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

Only by the supposedly super sneaky way Steve opened the door in slow motion, peaking inside, Billy got the idea. He remembered Steve wanted to make sure they wouldn't get caught by Laurie. Billy chuckled, until Steve through him a scandalized look and so he would keep his voice down. Steve looked inside again, not very Ninja-like by now with his whole head inside the room. And like... he probably wasn't seeing very much with the lights out and shit.

And because he was an asshole, Billy nudged him gently, causing Steve to stumble into the room. The door fell open very loudly. Steve hissed, trying to get back on his feet while Billy turned on the light. He was chuckling as he saw Steve with both hands lifted as if he was ready to karate fight someone.

"That you trying to fight off Laurie?", Billy smirked.

"No!", Steve said, shaking his head furiously. He was lowering both hands as Billy closed the door behind himself. "I would have stayed silent, not make her notice me in the first place!", Steve announced, taking some pride in that.

"Yeah, saw your moves man," Billy said with false appreciation. "You got some sick sneaking skills there, Harrington."

Steve looked hesitant, squinting his eyes but obviously, he was too drunk to notice that Billy was making fun of him. So he just smiled his dorky smile and Billy wouldn't tell him, nah. He would just enjoy every opportunity he got to see that boy smiling.

He raised both arms still hung with bags full of takeout. "How about we dig into these, now?"

"Hell, yeah!", Steve agreed and then he was on Billy. Or at least right in front of him. Reaching into the cheap white plastic bags to get out cartons and chopsticks and packets of soy sauce and whatever else they filled in there.

"Jesus, I have no idea, what I ordered," Steve said with a frown. He quickly sank down on one side of his bed, sitting crosslegged and sprawling out all their food around him. Billy didn't go quite as far, only sitting down on the edge of the bed, keeping his feet to the ground.

Wow, it wasn't like the feeling of this bed, didn't send a bunch of spikes into Billy's guts, even in a good mood and drunk like that.

"Doesn't matter. Just pick some. It's basically all the same anyway," Billy shrugged.

"You know, as a child, we'd never... mom never let me eat like takeout Chinese food, so maybe, if I was lucky, I got some at a friends house."

"You never eat Chinese?", Billy asked, with a raised brow, getting into some noodles he unpacked that looked and smelt honestly amazing right now.

"Only at like hip expensive restaurants. Or one time in actual China," Steve grinned.

"You're kidding me," Billy looked at him, trying to call a bluff.

"Nope," Steve popped the p there, pulling open a package of soy sauce to pour it over some fried rice with veggies and chicken. "Dad's had some sort of business meeting over there. Spent most of the time in a hotel room watching tv I couldn't understand," Steve shrugged. "They had some cool cartoons."

"Huh," Billy made. "Barely left California until my dad made us move shortly after he remarried," he shrugged. "Never left the states."

"Really?", Steve asked. Billy looked at him being way more skillful with the chopsticks than he was himself, even with his years of takeout experience.

"Yeah. Dad was never big on like this family vacation thing," Billy said. Or at least he wasn't if it included Billy.

"Shit, that sucks," Steve said. "I mean, hotels are basically all the same no matter where you go but... sometimes it's nice to see places. Like the Eiffel Tower or stuff like that, you know?"

"Yeah, I can imagine. I mean, always told myself that I would like... go places, once I moved out and all, but right now? I'm glad my scholarship's covering some of my costs, you know? Maybe in a few years when I start making some actual money," he said. And well, Billy could almost hear his dad saying how college was a fucking waste of time and money and real men started to work, provide for a family. Those were some big fucking words for someone who really didn't provide about anything more than a roof over Billy's head. Or a fucking black eye. For most of Billy's childhood, at least.

"Hey, you alright?", Steve asked, dropping his chopsticks to the bed next to him. "You look upset. It's really not that great. It's... at least with my parents. I always loved coming home."

"Bet home was a mansion, huh?", Billy joked, mostly to distract Steve from feeling bad for Billy. And it was working cause Steve was looking down now, a grin on his face.

"Big house, yeah," he nodded. "With a big pool in front of it."

"And you decide to go to college to become a teacher. Damn, if I had that kind of family money, I would probably just... hell, I don't even know..."

"Yeah, my father's obsessed with wanting me to take over his business. Or not really, probably but with getting me to work for him. As if they're not already deciding over each and every step I take. He thinks this is a wasting my time and his money and I'll never graduate anyway, so..."

"So you're proving him wrong," Billy nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, hopefully. Gotta work on that, or he'll have me as an employee after all." Steve was eating again, though it looked like he'd lost at least some of his appetite. At least he was more moving the food from one side to another, picking in it, than actually eating.

"Not on my watch, you're not," Billy said as if that was suddenly all of his business.

"Hm?", Steve looked up.

"Come on, you like the subject, right? That's like half of what it needs to only get straight A's in your stupid classes already. I bet, we'll get you to work out the rest, too."

"Really?"

"Promise," Billy nodded eagerly, finishing up the last bite of his pack of noodles.

He put the empty box to the side, staring at the rest now.

"We're fucked," Billy stated after a moment of taking in all the unfinished cartons. Filled with spring rolls and dumplings and orange chicken and whatnot. "No way, we're finishing this all up before Laurie busts your ass."

Steve looked eagerly at first but then, as if he was mentally counting all the bites it would take, this eagerness was replaced by tiredness. "Damn," he mumbled. "You're really not hungry anymore?"

Billy made a tortured sound as he reached over to pick up one of those dumplings, more forcing it down than actually enjoying it.

"Hm," Steve sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'll probably just take this chance then." He pushed a few cartons to the side, stuffed a few empty ones into one bigger and put it to the side before basically collapsing on the bed. "This was a great idea though, fucking love takeout food."

"Yeah. You got your numbers, got drunk and got food. Fucking great for a weekday, if you ask me," Billy said, starting to clean up some of that mess. For a couple of drunk guys eating Chinese takeout in a bed, they made pretty little of a mess. "I'm surprised, you haven't fallen asleep on me already, Harrington."

Steve smirked at him with his eyes mostly closed.

"Should I take all this stuff over with me, kinda hide it, until we can finish it tomorrow?"

"Hm, what?", Steve rose up, propping himself up on his elbows to face Billy. "No, no don't leave." He shook his head as if Billy had just disturbed his sleep with that question.

"What?", Billy asked, questioning whether this was only drunk Steve asking again.

"Please...", Steve mumbled, leaning back down again, now that Billy hasn't gotten up to leave yet.

"Can't sleep in your bed every night, pretty boy. That's a...", he wanted to say dangerous but opted for something else instead, "stupid idea."

"Don't care," Steve said, sleepy voice, making grabby hand.

Billy knew he was fucked because no way he would repeat the terrors of that morning but also like, no fucking way he would leave when Steve wanted him to stay.

"Yeah, alright," he said and Steve kind of smiled at that, as much as him falling asleep allowed.

Billy stood up then, noticing how Steve was watching him with at least one half-opened eyes. He collected all the food and tried to put them all to a safe place so Steve wouldn't accidentally roll into it, turning over at night.

And then he looked around in the still fully lit room, pondering his choices. Like Laurie's empty bed or the soft carpet in the middle of the room or as a last resort, the door leading to his own bed.

Steve made a whiny noise and Billy was surprised how unashamed he was. Although, he was less surprised, considering the amount of Fireball he had that boy drink. "C'mere...", Steve demanded and yeah, well, Billy was fully aware this was a dangerous dangerous game they were playing when he approached Steve.

"I shouldn't be spoiling your drunk ass, like that," Billy said, standing by the side of the bed now.

"That's not... I'm not even drunk," Steve stated with little to no truth to it. "I'm just... please?" And then he blinked his eyes open, all big and brown and fucking begging Billy as if he'd had any self-control in the first place.

"Fuck it," Billy mumbled more to himself before he was kicking his boots off, turning the lights off, getting onto the bed next to Steve. He kept himself at a distance that clingy boy quickly overcame, leaning his head against Billy's shoulder.

"I like that, like... how warm you are," Steve mumbled, half asleep.

"Yeah, so I've been told," Billy said, tense. He swore to himself that he would not fall asleep like that again. He was not risking that again! So he listened very closely for Steve's breath to flatten out, to go calmer and calmer. And all that, while making sure that he didn't fall asleep himself. Which was close to being impossible...

Billy woke up the next morning from a loud noise and sat up straight. He was looking right at Laurie who walked into the room with slightly disheveled clothes and last night's makeup.

He felt a wash of relief when he discovered that he was, in fact, sleeping on the ground next to Steve's bed. Surprising that this wasn't even that much more uncomfortable than his own bed was.

"Forming a habit now?", Laurie asked, a bit of disbelief in her eyes. "I swear, I'll start collecting rent soon if you idiots are keeping that up."

Billy looked over at Steve who was slowly blinking his eyes open, too. Somehow he hated that Laurie had woken him up that harshly.

Only Laurie silently cursing could take Billy's gaze off of that.

"Son of a... I swear to god, you two assholes, I have one rule and one rule only, like... I don't even care what you were doing here, you could have thrown a party or been banging all over my bed for all I care but-." She nudged against a small tower built out of empty takeout boxes so it fell apart on the table where Billy had put it.

Billy put on his best apologetic smile and looked at Steve half hiding underneath his blanket to keep himself safe from Laurie's wrath.

"It's... I forced him. My fault," Billy said before he could keep himself from doing that. It didn't matter, Steve had drunkenly offered to take the blame.

"What?", Laurie looked at him, frowning. "Whatever man," she shook her head. "I'm just here to take a quick shower before I'm going to class. If I'm coming back and it still smells like shit in here, he's sleeping in the hallway, tonight. Or wherever really. So clean that up, understand?!"

She didn't even wait for an answer, just grabbed a bunch of clean clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

And Billy slowly turned to take a look at Steve who looked about as confused as he felt. For Laurie going relatively easy on them. And going to class before the late afternoon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, for taking forever, as usual. I lost about 9k of words last week, so I hope this super long chapter with lots of Billy/Steve moments makes up for it. As expected, Billy's no-one who just stops playing with fire after getting burnt once. :D
> 
> Comments/Kudos are appreciated and help me a lot writing this story! <3


	10. Cleaning up the mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Billy have made quite the mess but are they able to take care of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.

Steve let out a somewhat repressed exhale, staring at the closed bathroom door as Billy did. There was another moment of quiet before the shower turned on.

"That's-", he started.

"Weird, definitely weird, yeah." Billy nodded.

Steve pulled his blanket a little higher, squinting his eyes. "She's never up this early. Like ever!"

"And how is she on her way to class? What class?", Billy added with a frown.

Of course, Laurie didn't bother to stick around long enough to give them an actual answer of where she was going.

What she did stick around for though was to catwalk through the room in her underwear. She getting on some more makeup while being watched by both guys, before snuggling on a tight pair of jeans. If you could trust Laurie with something it was putting on a good show. It was almost distracting enough for Billy not to pay attention to Steve, even though that boy was definitely watching, too.

"Catch you later, dickheads," Laurie flipped them off when she marched out of the door, carrying a bigger bag.

When Billy turned around to look at Steve, a brow raised, the other boy looked as puzzled as he felt. 

"Is she pulling some sort of joke?", Steve asked, voice still sleepy.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea. But I'm pretty sure you'll get your ass handed to yourself if we don't take care of this mess before she comes back."

Steve groaned, disappearing under his sheets and pillows. "Ugh, my head hurts!", he complained.

Billy looked at him in disbelief for a second, before a smirk was growing on his face. So Steve didn't have a high tolerance for booze. Good to know.

"Don't worry, pretty boy. I'm gonna get you some aspirin or whatever I'll find in the kitchen," he offered.

There was some movement in Steve's bed. Suddenly crazy brown hair appeared in a gap at the side and Steve was looking at him with big eyes. They were a little red from being hungover. "Really?"

Billy shrugged and nodded then. "Sure. Got you shitfaced, gotta take care of you."

Steve hummed in appreciation. "God, I could kiss you right now."

Billy snorted and scrambled to his feet before he could get any bad ideas. "Yeah, let's save that, for later," he mumbled. 

And then he got on his way out the door and to the kitchen. To be fair, the faint throb behind his forehead could use some painkillers as well. Good thing was, you could find everything and anything in a shared dorm kitchen if you knew where to look. And Billy had an eye for the good spots. Once he found the best leftovers he's ever eaten in the back of the fridge. Another time, some very decent weed stuffed in the back of some drawer. The only risks with taking what wasn't yours were either getting caught. And realizing that people tended to not use their spots again once stuff disappears. But then, who put things of value in a shared kitchen? That was just plain stupid.

And now, the second cupboard he opened presented him with what he was looking for. He filled two glasses up with cold water and carried a bunch of pills back to the room. Steve had meanwhile made his way out of bed and was sitting on the edge of the mattress. 

He wasn't wearing a matching set of pajamas this time. But at some point of the night, he must have gotten rid of his jeans. He was wearing last night's t-shirt, including stains where he dropped orange chicken. A pair of boxers that revealed lean, milky legs, even more mouthwatering to Billy than last nights take-out. But then, everything on Steve was.

When Steve heard the door being pulled open and recognized Billy, his face lit up. He made grabby hands for the glass of water, had half of it downed even before Billy managed to give him some aspirin.

"Easy," Billy chuckled. "You want mine too?" He held the glass out, offering.

"Nah. Just thirsty from all the salty food," Steve said, wiping a drop of water off his chin. And like... that was distracting and Billy had to intentionally blink to get his eyes off Steve. Focus on something else instead.

"Take two of those and it'll at least clear up the headache," Billy said. Then he dropped two white pills into Steve's palm, that the other one willingly swallowed. Billy took one too, followed by some big gulps of water.

He put the still half-full glass down in front of Steve and nodded when Steve looked at him in question. Steve drank the rest up too and then sighed, leaning back against the wall behind his bed. He looked pretty rough. 

"What do you say?", he asked Billy. "Any chance of getting rid of this smell?"

Billy raised a brow and looked around, eying all the empty cartons. Now that the two of them slept in here all night, it didn't smell nearly as bad for them as it must for Laurie. The fact that he did smell it should be indicator enough.

"Gotta get rid of all of that shit and then open up the window and door to get some ventilation going. I mean, if you're lucky, she'll be indulgent and you'll be off the hook with only some rambling."

"Or I'm sleeping in the hallway," Steve sighed, wiping some sleep out of his eye. "Do you have class now? I mean, I guess it's my room and I talked you into this so I should be the one-"

Billy checked the time on his phone, for now ignoring the fact that he got notifications for missed calls and messages. "Got like half an hour before I should leave. Not including shower or breakfast."

Steve looked at the alarm on his night-stand and flinched. "Yeah, and I'm half an hour late for my first class so that's great," he grumbled. "Fuck, I'm an idiot."

"You're gonna do just fine. How about you try collecting all the stuff and I'll be back with a big plastic back in a second. That way we can get rid of the cause of this?"

"I think, by now we're reeking about as much as the food is," Steve pointed out.

Billy smirked. "It's gonna be a tough call for you. Getting all the garlic out of your system before tonight?"

"Tell me about it... Could go to the gym later or something, sweat it all out." He shrugged.

"Let's do what we can, now. Who knows? Maybe she doesn't even come home tonight."

They spent the better part of an hour cleaning up Steve's room.

Getting rid of all the wrapping, the plastic bags and boxes was the quick part. What took longer was to put clean sheets on Steve's bed. To find some cleaning agents somewhere to get rid of the stains on the carpet. And all of that could have been done way quicker if they hadn't been drinking last night. But then, they probably wouldn't have caused that sort of mess in the first place.

"You should go," Steve said at some point, looking up at Billy. He was currently squatting on the floor, where he tried to get an orange stain off the ground by scrubbing. He was sweaty, strands of hair sticking to his forehead.

In the meantime, Billy was trying to find air freshener in Laurie's stuff. And, well, since Laurie wasn't known for her tidiness, Billy found everything but that. He found an old pack of gummy bears that looked like they'd been living in that room for longer than Laurie had.

It got more interesting when he found a little red box that was buried in the back of her closet. When Billy opened it, the first thing catching his eye, was a pair of handcuffs. Billy's eye widened and he fished it out, letting it dangle from his fingers.

"Huh," he made, getting Steve's attention on the thing. "Fuck, that almost looks like it's the real deal." He moved a finger along the cool metal of it.

Steve choked a little and blushed, looking over at Billy. "Maybe we shouldn't be looking at those."

"Well, you aren't looking," Billy shrugged, putting the handcuffs on the ground next to him. "And if this was your closet we were going through, she wouldn't have any hesitations. So-" Billy shook his head and pulled the box onto his lap. There was a lot of dark red tissue paper in there so he couldn't see much else. But he definitely had his suspicions.

"Think, those are like her... toys and stuff?", Billy asked, looking at Steve out of the corner of his eye. And Steve? He had definitely stopped scrubbing the floor in order to get a look there. So Billy turned around, facing Steve with the box on his lap when he made a show out of lifting the red tissue paper off. It was funny to see Steve's eyes widen. When Billy put the paper to the side, he revealed that the box was filled with a bunch of colorful, scented candles.

"Wow, now that's disappointing," Billy snorted.

Steve started to grin. "Well, it's also kind of what we need right now," he exclaimed. And then he was crawling over to get a bunch of candles out, bringing his hands kind of very close to Billy's crotch area. Billy followed his every movement, looking at his hands, getting a hold on the candles and his face lighting up when he smelled the scents. "Definitely better than takeout," Steve decided. And like... Steve kept sitting there, right in front of Billy, their knees touching all. Close enough for Billy to smell the Cologne Steve had been wearing last night. To see his reflection in Steve's dark eyes.

"Great," Billy said and then he cleared his throat, putting the handcuffs back into the box and the lit back on. He stared down at it for another moment, then up at Steve before he got back to the closet, putting the box back on its place.

"Not what you wanted to find?", Steve teased, still watching Billy.

Billy gave him a side eye. "Hm? I mean, whatever. It'd be fun to tease her about it. But I guess, it's almost funnier that she has a box full of fucking candles. Just... I mean, those fucking handcuffs," Billy gave the box another look before he closed the door. When he looked over at Steve, that guy had stood up and was bending over the table. He was lighting up the candles, giving Billy an even better view now, fully presenting his ass and all. And while Steve was busy, there was no shame at staring for a moment or two. Billy leaned against the closed and crossed his arms over his chest, only to keep his hands kind of occupied. Who knew where else they might end up if he wasn't careful.

"Yeah, they look like fun," Steve said, moving around the lit candles on the table to spread them in a wider area.

Billy raised a brow. "Fun? That your type of thing?" 

And. He really should not be asking him stuff like that. He shouldn't even be here right now. He should be taking a shower and heading to class rather then goggling at Steve's ass like he wanted to take a bite out of it. Which wasn't too far from the truth, to be fair.

Steve turned around to him now, causing Billy to take a more casual stance. He also needed to find something else to keep his gaze occupied with. 

"I mean-" Steve hesitated, tilting his head a bit and staring at Billy. He looked as if he was trying to figure out how much he could trust him. "I haven't exactly tried yet but, I mean..."

"Need yourself a girl who's more adventurous then?", Billy suspected.

Steve blushed more but he didn't avoid Billy's eyes. "Something like that," he shrugged.

"Hm, I mean, Laurie's been trying to get in your pants since you moved in here, so, you know? could always give that a try. Who knows, she might overlook how it still smells like shit in here."

Steve wrinkled his nose. "It's not as bad anymore," he argued, looking at the candles, before returning his gaze to Billy. "She ever used those with you?"

Billy choked a little before he was able to answer. "I mean, I wouldn't have been as surprised, if I'd seen them before, you know? But damn, they definitely do look like fun." He licked his bottom lip enjoying the fact that Steve was still looking at him with that smirk. He looked almost curious. But Billy shouldn't forget who he was talking to. Steve's interests definitely didn't include Billy. Because if they did, well, last night and that girl's offer could have ended at a very different place. 

"You think, Ian could be into that?", Steve asked, voice almost going casual now.

That question caught Billy off guard. Not that he had forgotten about Ian but. He hadn't been thinking about him much either. Not since he'd seen missed calls on his phone and decided not to bother with those. Because why would he when he could spend time with Steve? Which was a fucked up in itself and definitely self-sabotage but Billy didn't want to think too closely about that right now.

"Uh, hm, I don't know. Doesn't seem the type if I'm totally honest," Billy shrugged, gaze drifting to the side. "I guess, I'll take a shower and head to class now. Maybe I'll manage to catch the last twenty minutes or so."

"Yeah, alright," Steve nodded, swallowing as if the idea of Billy leaving was off-putting. "See you later."

"Yeah, see you around, pretty boy," Billy nodded. He didn't look at Steve another time before he left the room, taking a few deep breaths in the hallway.

He pulled out his cell phone before he disappeared into his own room and then the bathroom.

Halfway out of his pants and shirt and still looking at his phone, Billy stumbled. The missed calls weren't actually from Ian but from Max which was... unusual to say the least.

Billy immediately dialed her number to call back because with Max you never knew. Sometimes she didn't call for weeks, sometimes he couldn't get her off his back. So this could be an emergency as much as just some random missed calls. And Billy'd feel better if he'd checked before doing anything else.

"Max?", he asked when his call reached her.

She snorted. "So you finally found your phone? Aren't you supposed to be in class now?"

"I'm on my way there, gonna take a quick shower first."

"You're naked?", Max asked, irritated.

"Didn't plan on showering fully dressed, Maxine," Billy rolled his eyes.

"Ew!", she complained.

Billy sighed. "It's not even a video call so calm down, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, go shower, I have stuff to do right now. Can I call you back tonight?"

"Should be back by seven."

"Yeah, that should work. Bye Billy." She hung up before he could say anything in return which was nothing is not typical for Max. 

Billy still stared at his phone for a few seconds until he realized that she was gone. He stripped out of the rest of his clothing then, while clicking through the messages he'd missed.

Laurie informing him that she blames him for messing up her room. 

A bunch of messages from Ian, too, but nothing that made Billy cringe. He seemed more laid back if anything. Mentioned that they could go get a coffee today and then noticed that Billy wouldn't be there on time. Billy answered right away and told him that he slept in today and that he should be at Campus in twenty minutes or so. So they could catch up between classes if Ian wanted to. Like that was ever a good idea. At least it was better than playing pretend with Steve Harrington. Especially while Billy was the only one playing.

He took a quick shower and walked back into the bedroom with a towel around his waist. He was dropping it while getting clean underwear and pants out of a drawer.

"Dude, could you cover your junk or something?!", Tommy complained, almost scaring Billy to death.

"Jesus!", Billy huffed, pushing the drawer shut and stepping in some briefs. "What are you doing here?", he asked.

"Living here," Tommy grumbled. His gaze was fixed on his phone so Billy didn't bother to get dressed in a hurry.

"Carol kicked you out?"

"She didn't," Tommy flipped him off. "Just gotta lay low for a while. Don't wanna have Gabby file a fucking complaint against me." He snorted.

Billy knew that Gabby was Carol's roommate. Carol's hot roommate that hated Tommy which, to be fair, everyone that wasn't dumb as shit did. Billy and her hooked up a couple of times, no strings attached, so Gabby was obviously chill. Liked keeping stuff casual as much as he did. "What you do to piss her off?"

Tommy glared at him, throwing the phone to the side. "Me? Didn't fucking do anything."

Billy put on his t-shirt, pulling it smooth. "Yeah, I'm sure of that. Since you always know how to behave."

"Mumbled something of missing some sleep, so. And she didn't find it that funny when Carol and I got her some earplugs."

Billy snorted and then started chuckling.

"Very funny, asshole!" Tommy grabbed one of his pillows and threw it at Billy, but Billy ducked out of the way. "Didn't you fuck her for a while?"

"Once or twice. Why?"

"I mean, if you get her in here, there's no need for me and Carol to be quiet. Just saying. Plus you'd get your dick wet."

"Wow, you must have really thought about that one," Billy rolled his eyes. 

"So that's a yes?"

"It's a no," Billy informed him. "I mean, even if I wanted to help you in this mess you clearly brought onto yourself... I'm going kind of steady with this dude, so."

"Did you have him over the whole time, I was gone?", Tommy asked, irritated. He started looking at his own sheets as if he was searching for stains. Like Billy would sleep on that bed let alone fuck in there! He'd probably catch something...

"Didn't have him over yet."

"Then it's not steady," Tommy decided, rolling his eyes. "Come on man, help me out here."

"You wish! Hey, why don't you and Carol ask her to join the two of you? Maybe that resolves some of it," Billy said as a joke.

"Yeah, right? That's what I suggested but Carol's not into it."

Smart girl. But then, she could probably have someone better than Tommy in a heartbeat. And Gabby wouldn't agree to any of that shit anyway, so...

"I need to head to class," Billy informed him.

"Whatever man," Tommy leaned back against the wall and pulled his phone back like he'd missed something important.

Of course, Billy didn't make it to the last minutes of class. He barely got ten minutes left before his next one started, so meeting up with Ian was a terrible idea, to begin with. He called him to figure out a brief meeting spot. With not answering earlier in favor of going out with a straight guy, Billy felt like he owed him at least that.

Ian didn't even look mad when he showed and his face lit up when he saw Billy. Which was a lot for someone not used to dealing with feelings of any sort. 

"Hey," Ian greeted him.

"Hey, sorry, I'm-" Billy immediately dropped his shoulders going into defense.

Ian tilted his head, still smiling. "It's fine, I'm happy to see you."

"You are?", Billy almost asked but then he cleared his throat instead. "Yeah, me too." 

Ian walked in and hugged Billy tightly, not kissing him but resting his head on Billy's shoulder. "Got any plans for tonight?", he asked.

Damn, right when things were going pretty good.

"I- Tommy showed up back in our room right before I left, so he'll be there and."

"And you don't want to come to my place," Ian concluded but without any bite.

And that was essentially true, but...

"Fuck, man, that sounds like I'm a huge asshole," Billy mumbled, pulling out of the embrace. It felt way too close all of the sudden. "I'm- I mean, I... I don't know, alright? I just don't know what the fuck I want and I feel like if we're rushing things, I'm gonna hurt you or fuck things up, or..." 

Billy wasn't looking directly at Ian. Couldn't with those being not only the most words he'd ever said to him but also the most honest ones, too. Even though whatever he had going on with that guy wasn't what Billy was craving right now, it still felt like that was his fault. That he should want this. Should be good at this too. But he clearly wasn't.

When Billy couldn't take the silence anymore and dared to look, he noticed that Ian was frowning at him. But there was no bitterness or anger. If anything, his face turned softer now that Billy met his eyes.

"It's alright," Ian nodded. "I mean, it kinda sucks for me right now because I'd love to have you over tonight, but we can go at your pace. That's fine." And then he shrugged it off, like no biggie. 

"Really?" Because that sounded like a trick-thing to say.

"Sure. Just- I'd rather you tell me than making up excuses and... I'm probably not going to wait forever, so," he tilted his head. And that was fair. It didn't take all the pressure of but at least like that, Billy wouldn't have to come up with lies anymore.

Billy stared at him and nodded. "Yeah. Okay. I mean, how about we go out this weekend, see how things go?"

Ian was checking his phone, for the time, Billy assumed. "Love to. Text me the details," he said, without looking up. Then he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and came forward to plant a kiss right at the corner of Billy's mouth. He kept there, close, for a moment or two, before leaving. Then he was gone.

Billy looked after him for a hot second before letting out a 'huh' and turning around to get to his own class.

For once, he felt like, he actually managed to handle things like a grown-up. But it didn't get rid of all the guilt boiling in the pit of his stomach. At least this time he could focus a little on his remaining classes. After all, education didn't come free and he should get some use out of it.

Later, Billy spent the evening sitting in bed listening to music. At least until Tommy complained and turned it off which led to a short argument and a bit of name-calling. Max didn't call at seven. She didn't call at eight either. When Tommy let out an annoyed groan because Billy kept checking his phone, Billy flipped him off. And then he called her around 8:40 pm, because he was annoyed, too... 

"What do you want?", Max answered the call, polite as always.

Billy considered hanging up on her but he did want to know what all this was about. "You wanted to call. Like three hours ago."

"Oh! Yeah, right, I-" He heard her talking to someone in her room before there were a few steps and a closed door. "What are you doing this weekend?"

Billy paused for a moment because he didn't know whether she was talking to him again. "What?"

"This weekend," Max repeated, voice getting more urgent. "I need a place to crash."

"And the first thing you think of is my place, hundreds of miles away?", Billy asked, brow raised. He was well aware of how Tommy was staring at him. That guy was gesturing wildly like no sleepovers as if he'd ever been following that rule.

"Spent some quality brother-sister time?", she asked, voice almost sweet. That bitch.

"Aw. And usually, you love to remind me how we aren't even blood relatives."

"Come on, we basically are," Max said with a groan, losing her patience with him.

Billy wanted to reply when he heard a knock on the door. Not Max's door but his and Tommy's. And that asshole looked at Billy like he was supposed to get up and take care of it. Billy stared back, eyes widened, nodding in the direction of the noise.

"So can I?", Max repeated when Billy didn't answer, but he wasn't paying that much attention to her right now.

When Tommy didn't move, Billy lowered the hand with the phone and glared at Tommy. "You better open that fucking door asap," he threatened. And when Tommy looked like he wanted to talk back, Billy continued. "Or I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, you won't even have to worry about Gabby anymore," he growled.

"What door?", Max bitched. "I don't even know a Gabby."

Thankfully and while flipping Billy off, Tommy made his way to the door. With how little time he spent in their room, Tommy could make himself useful every now and then.

"I wasn't talking to you," Billy said to Max.

"Rude," she said. "So what? I mean, I already got a ticket so."

"You got what?", he asked, bringing his hand to his head because he felt the start of a headache.

"Billy?" Now that was Tommy's voice, taking Billy's attention back into the room. Tommy was standing in front of the door next to Steve Harrington. And that guy was carrying a pillow and a blanket like a fucking sleepwalker. Billy lost his words.

"Tickets," Max said a little too loud. "I'll be there Friday so be home." And with that, she hung up, before Billy was able to comprehend what was happening right now.

While still staring at Steve, Billy mumbled something like, "Love you, too, Max." Then he was putting the phone down.

"That the boyfriend?", Tommy asked nodding in Steve's direction. Of course, he didn't know anything about Laurie's new roommate.

Steve and Billy both stared at him in disbelief.

"That's Laurie's Steve," Billy said because Harrington wasn't bothering to clarify anything.

Tommy was used to making a face as if he knew something he had no idea of. So he shrugged off that information and strutted over to his bed, dropping onto the squeaky mattress.

Billy moved up to the front of his bed, both feet on the ground now, still looking at Steve.

"She didn't...", he said towards in the other boy's direction.

"She did."

"You want me to talk to-", Billy wanted to offer, standing up now.

"Yeah, no, I mean, I... can I just crash here for the night. I'mma talk to her tomorrow but I don't wanna fight with her. She's like... moody, I don't know." He shrugged, looking smaller than he was.

"She's always moody."

"Yeah, I know, but, you know...?"

"Fuck man, yeah, you can stay. Not gonna let you sleep in the hallway," Billy huffed.

"Excuse me," Tommy said, staring at Billy.

"Shut up, like you ever asked before having Carol here!", Billy snarled at him.

"Carol's my girlfriend, so she falls free. But we aren't some sort of open refuge here!"

"He's staying," Billy said because he disliked the way Steve was still standing in the doorway.

"You wanna tell me, where he's gonna sleep then?"

"God, you're so annoying right now, shut the fuck up!", Billy growled. He was standing up, too, not sure whether it was to help Steve or rip Tommy's head off.

And maybe that would have escalated right then but Tommy's phone went off. He waited a few seconds before answering, but his enlightened face was a good indicator of who was speaking to.

"Great fucking timing," he said. Then he grabbed his keys, bumping against Steve's shoulder before heading off.

"Great timing, indeed," Billy mumbled, shaking his head.

"And here I was, thinking Laurie was a lot," Steve mumbled with a smile after he made sure the door was shut behind Tommy.

"She is. The good thing about Tommy is, he's out most times. He and Carol can barely keep their hands off each other for a few hours." Billy shrugged. "I doubt, he'll be back anytime soon."

Steve still looked somewhat lost in the middle of that room. He was carrying his belongings like he was afraid of using up any of Billy's space.

Billy walked over and grabbed the stuff, dropping it on the end of his bed. 

Steve looked unsure of what to do exactly. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, face going in and out of a frown. Like he was assessing the room and realizing that it was as small as his own, appearing even smaller while Tommy was home.

"Can sleep here, if you want," Billy offered, collecting his own sheets.

"That's your bed."

"You can't sleep in Tommy's bed. You gotta built up immunity before getting too close," Billy joked. "Plus I'm kinda used to sleeping on the ground. And I wouldn't want you to fuck up your back just because I got you drunk at a terrible time."

Steve's gaze softened. "You do know, that it was the other way round. Me getting you drunk."

"Whatever," Billy shrugged. "Take the fucking bed, alright?"

Steve pulled a face but at least he walked over and sat down on the side of the mattress. Billy hesitated before he did the same.

"Who's Max?", Steve then asked.

"My sis- step-sister actually. Few years younger than me, also a bit of a bitch. Asked to come for a visit."

"This weekend?"

Billy nodded. 

Steve put on a wider smile. "A bunch of kids are coming over and staying at a hotel for the weekend. We're going to the movies and probably to the zoo since that's everything Dustin's been talking about. You two could join."

Billy smiled and looked to the side. "You're only saying this because you haven't met Max yet."

"Teenagers are always a lot," Steve shrugged. "But, you know? it's fun, too. Definitely more fun, if I'm not babysitting a bunch of high-schoolers on my own."

Billy looked at him, still trying to figure out whether he could reasonably put Steve through this. After all, Max wouldn't be too happy. She mainly visited Billy because he didn't care what she did drinking-wise and he left her be. And she got along pretty well with Laurie. She even slept there with Tommy and Carol not giving up the bed for the night. Speaking of...

"I'll ask her, think about it," Billy agreed, before standing up. "So I'mma take Tommy's bed then, hope I'm not gonna catch his nasty."

Steve frowned like he wanted to intervene but didn't quite know what to say. "It's not that late yet. I mean, we could still do something," he shrugged.

"Wanna make a habit out of drinking and getting takeout with me?" Billy winked at him and honestly, Billy was fucking into that idea.

"With those consequences, I think, I'll pass," Steve smirked. "I don't know. Could steal a bottle or so and go upstairs for a smoke."

Now that was an idea that had Billy's face lighting up.

"Should have you over more often, pretty boy. That's a splendid idea," he nodded and then he was holding his hand out to pull Steve up as well. This led to a moment of standing awkwardly close to each other. It was especially weird with Steve blinking his eyes at him like that, looking like a doe hit by headlights. But Billy cleared his throat and took a step back before he grabbed a jacket and a pack of smokes and led the way.

Back on the hallway, they were standing in front of Steve's room for a moment or two. 

"Guess we're not going in there to get a drink, huh?", Billy teased. But he was already pulling Steve by his sleeve, so they could make their way towards the kitchen.

Steve was frowning because clearly, Billy wasn't looking for his own booze for them to steal. So they ended up squatting in front of a cabinet looking at leftover bottles from the last dorm party. "I mean, technically those belong to all of us, you know?" Billy shrugged and started browsing the labels to find something good. That was a weak try though because all the good stuff usually disappeared quicker than the blink of an eye.

"I'm sure of that," Steve smirked. And without waiting for Billy he reached in and got something most likely high-proof. He stood up then, waiting for Billy.

"What you got, pretty boy?", Billy asked, licking his lips.

"Does it matter?", Steve asked, smiling widely. "It's booze."

Billy smirked. "Yeah, fine, let's do this."

To be fair, the bottle was only half full so they couldn't shoot their lights out. But it wasn't cooled either so it should better kick in quickly for them to enjoy themselves. 

Steve unscrewed the bottle and took a sip even before they reached the stairs.

"You're gonna kill me, Harrington," Billy smirked, sticking a cigarette behind his ear. He was getting another one out when they walked up the dark stairs. 

Billy double-checked outside and in to make sure no-one else, like a janitor, was running around. But they had the roof for themselves again. Steve walked out first. He dropped down on their usual spot which certainly isn't what Billy should think of it. Billy lit up the cigarette in his mouth, forming a shield with hand to keep off the wind and took a drag while he followed. 

When he blew out smoke and sat down, he gave the blunt over to Steve to light himself the other one. Steve's eyes looked unreasonably sparkly in the orange light of the cigarette. Dangerously so. Like Billy shouldn't let his guards down for even a second or he'd regret it for sure.

"Here you go," Billy mumbled, to overcome that awkward silence.

"Thanks," Steve smiled. He put the cigarette between his lips and Billy watched him although he should know better. "Do you have early classes tomorrow?"

"At ten, I think." Billy nodded. "But nothing you should worry about. Not that Tommy ever managed to keep quiet, morning or night. I work perfectly fine on little sleep. Don't mind you staying over."

Steve exhaled smoke through his nostrils and nodded while looking in the darkened distance in front of him. "Mhmm," he hummed. "But maybe I shouldn't get you drinking then..." He hesitated and looked at Billy. When h Billy was raising both brows in absolute disbelief, Steve was smiling, then looking down onto his knees. "I'm gonna make things right with Laurie though. Feel like an asshole."

"Don't," Billy shook his head. "I mean, don't feel bad. She's a bitch sometimes. Even though I love her like family, she could loosen up on some of her bullshit sometimes. Like, she can't handle not to be in control, that's not very healthy."

Steve let out a huff. "Sounds like Nance," he said, shaking his head. "Fuck, I just think that I knew about Laurie's rules and last night I didn't care about what she told me and that's not... we're roommates and she does stuff because I ask her to, as well..."

"Like what?", Billy asked, dropping some ash of his own cigarette. 

"Like... I don't know, she's fine with me showering first or buying another brand of water or when I'm in a shitty mood and..."

"You do know that you're not half as bad to deal with as you think you are. I'm pretty sure when it comes to great roommates, Laurie's got the jackpot with you," Billy snorted. "You know what I have to endure? Tommy's hair all over the bathroom. Him fucking Carol in my bed on many occasions. Not to speak of him literally never cleaning up anything. And I'm not a fucking saint either. I mean, Tommy's been pretending to sleep through a bunch of hookups I brought there. And even though I'd break his nose if he ever did, he never commented on me having guys there. Didn't even care about it, which I give him great credit for." He shrugged.

Steve still looked worried though and Billy couldn't help but think about the Nancy thing. After Steve had already mentioned that, it was only logical that he was still worried about it.

"Yeah, I bet others would give you a lot of shit, probably," Steve exhaled slowly, avoiding Billy's gaze though. But he didn't look like he had his mind in it.

"It's better. Now. High school was way worse. Living at home was hell," Billy took another drag. How'd he end up here again?

At least it got Steve turning towards him, putting on a sympathetic smile. Billy'd take every smile on his face but. Yeah. No. Any smile.

"You know that breaking bullshit rules doesn't lead to breakups, do you?", Billy asked. And that felt like overstepping a lot of boundaries.

Steve turned towards him again, cigarette dangling between his fingers like he'd forgotten it's there.

"Bullshit people do," Billy concluded. "And you're not bullshit."

Steve stared at him a little like he was having a stroke. When he looked away again, he was taking the biggest inhale, almost sounding like he was sobbing. He didn't cry though and Billy was thankful for that even if it wouldn't change a thing.

"Is it weird that I feel like you're the only person who kind of gets this?", Steve asked, sounding more collected again.

"Bold thing to say while you don't look like you believe any of my words," Billy huffed, putting out his cigarette.

Steve sighed. "It's complicated," he said. "And you're the only person I don't feel like shit when we're talking about it. And I usually feel like shit, so. Thanks, I guess."

"You shouldn't," Billy replied, not sure of what else to say.

And Steve had that smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes like he wasn't believing Billy meant it like that. And also there wasn't really a way of convincing him otherwise. So Billy reached over and raised the bottle Steve picked. Because if they were gonna be stupid and sit on the roof at night talking about feelings, they might as well get drunk.

Drunk wasn't the word Billy would have used for their situation when they decided to return to Billy's room. Pleasantly buzzed might be better. But they'd finished that bottle and Steve had managed to pick some pretty strong stuff there. 

When they walked down the hallway, Billy had an arm around Steve's shoulder, resting a bit of his weight onto the other one. He always got a little handsy when he was drunk. When he talked about feelings and shit, even if they weren't necessarily his own. Steve was beaming though like he was right where he wanted to be. Which could be encouraging but Billy was still careful.

He also wasn't stupid. So when Tommy's bed was still empty, Billy kicked off all of that guy's bedding. He put a thin blanket underneath where he would be sleeping, just in case. Because he didn't like the idea of noticing something crusty where he was lying later. 

The smell was still off-putting though, even if years of living together had made Billy somewhat immune to that. But Steve curled up in Billy's bed. That wasn't only a nice sight but also the promising. Billy would love to wake up to the smell of Steve's cologne for a while.

They had both talked a lot over the evening, making plans for the weekend, sharing stories about Max or Steve's kids. Going to bed was the easy part, both of them drifting off super quickly.

Billy woke up to a knock against his shoulder, hard enough to hurt. When he blinked open his eyes, Tommy was all up in his space, staring at him like a figure from a nightmare.

"You wish, Hargrove," Tommy grunted and Billy pulled a face but discarded out of the bed, quickly. He was smart enough to get his blanket and pillow though. Tommy looked moody and tired and fell down onto his bed fully clothed. And without Carol. Even tired, Billy made a mental note of that. To be kicked out at that time of day, Tommy must have done something stupid

Billy wiped his tired eyes and took a step back. He was looking at their carpet-less ground, then looking at the door of the bathroom. Nothing was really promising. Also, he could only see shit because Tommy hadn't closed their door and light was shining in from the hallway. When Billy moved over there to close it, he heard some movement from his own bed. It wasn't dark enough to miss Steve sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"Go to sleep," Billy said, as quiet as possible, fucking mad at Tommy for waking them both up.

"Just come here," Steve said, all fucking soft. Before Billy could answer, he was laying back down. Billy was asking himself whether he should just be smart and ignore that but. Steve literally put the bedding back and looked at him, big eyes blinking.

And okay, Billy didn't have the best history when it came to bed-sharing with Steve but.

He was having a hard time remembering that now that he was super tired and still a little buzzed. And Tommy didn't look like he was paying any attention to them anyways, not that Billy minded him. 

Getting in bed with Steve felt like coming the fuck home which was probably the sappiest thought Billy has ever had. Maybe not. After all, Harrington made him think all kinds of sappy things and that was only on good days. 

Billy felt Steve shift next to him to accommodate to Billy in bed. It was a very limited space. The reasonable thing to do would still be to keep a distance. Steve didn't shy away, though, quite the opposite. He got closer like he was a moth and Billy was the only light source in miles. Or that was only wishful thinking. Steve was probably attracted to the warmth because Billy's bed, right now, was lacking that. And when his shoulder brushed against Billy's, when he turned over to face him, it was because of Billy's temperature and not. Other stuff. Even though Billy liked to pretend. Liked it so much.

Steve let out a sigh and snuggled against him.

"I should sleep on the floor," Billy mumbled more to himself.

He earned a nudge against his shoulder. "Don't be stupid," Steve said. "It's... I'll be gone before you even notice me."

"Highly doubt that," Billy replied, but he pulled his blanket up higher. He wouldn't get out of this bed until Steve kicked him out and that was for sure. But he would be careful falling asleep, trying to turn his back to Steve rather than ending up poking him with his dick again. Because he could happily go on with his life without another incident like that.

"Night Billy." Steve let out a soft sigh and his body got lax against Billy's.

Billy knew that he was in trouble but he couldn't bring himself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna continue writing just this fic for a few more updates. There's a bunch of stuff already written that I need to upload, so I'll hope that'll happen more frequently over the next couple of weeks. Lots of things to explore more, and as you see, I'm far from being finished with that bed-sharing trope lmao. + I'm super excited to write Max and the kids into this :)
> 
> Kudos/Comments are appreciated! Let me know what you think <3

**Author's Note:**

> I love reading comments so if you find the time, please share your thoughts with me <3 
> 
> Also, hit me up on Tumblr: [Confettibites](https://confettibites.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> Also, the title is basically just me being obsessed with listening to total eclipse of the heart. I think it's fitting the story but I also always struggle with naming stories and it doesn't mean too much, lmao.


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